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As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on January 27, 2017April 23, 2021

 

Registration No. 333-213671333-253006

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

AMENDMENT NO. 23

TO

FORM S-1

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

Protagenic Therapeutics,, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

Delaware

7389

7389

06-1390025

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

(I.R.S Employer

Identification No.)

 

149 Fifth Avenue

New York, New York10010

Telephone:212-994-8200

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number,

including area code, of principal executive offices)

 

Garo Armen

ExecutiveChairman

Protagenic Therapeutics,, Inc.

149 Fifth Avenue

New York, New York10010

Telephone:212-994-8200

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number,

including area code, of agent for service)

 

Copies to:

 

Louis Lombardo, Esq.

Meister Seelig & Fein LLP

125ParkAvenue

New York, New York 10017

Telephone: (212) 655-3500
Dean M. Colucci, Esq.Sara L. Terheggen, Esq.
Michelle Geller, Esq.The NBD Group, Inc.
Kelly R. Carr, Esq.350 N. Glendale Avenue, Ste B522
Duane Morris LLPGlendale, California 91206

1540 Broadway

New York, NY 10036

Telephone: (310) 890-0110
Telephone: (973) 424-2020

 

Approximate date of proposed sale to public: As soon as practicable on or after the effective date of this registration statement.

 

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. [X]

 

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. [  ]

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. [  ]

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. [  ]


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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 definitions 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

[  ]

Smaller reporting company ☒ 

[X]
(Do not check is a smaller reporting company)Emerging Growth Company [  ]

 

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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. [  ]

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered

 

Amount to Be
Registered
(1)

  

Proposed
Maximum
Offering Price
per Share

  

Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering Price

  

Amount of
Registration
Fee

 
                 

Shares of common stock held by selling stockholders (2)

  3,235,694  $1.25(3) $4,044,617.50  $407.29 
                 

Shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of outstanding Series B Preferred Stock(4)

  872,766  $1.25(3) $1,090,957.50  $109.86 
                 

Other shares of common stock underlying warrants held by selling stockholders(5)

  377,346  $1.25(6) $471,682.50  $47.50 
                 

Total

  4,485,806      $5,607,257.50  $564.65(7)
Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered 

Proposed

Maximum Aggregate Offering Price (1)(2)

  Amount of Registration Fee (3) 
Units consisting of:        
(i) Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share $12,750,000  $1391.02 
(ii) one Warrant to purchase one share of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (4) $     
Shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share underlying warrants $12,750,000  $1391.02 
Total Registration Fee      2,782.04 

 

(1)

In accordance withEstimated solely for the purpose of computing the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 416(a)457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”),amended.

(2)Includes the Registrant is also registering hereunder an indeterminate numberoffering price of sharesUnits that may be issued and resold resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.purchased by the underwriters pursuant to their option.
(3)

The Company previously paid a registration fee of 3,293.46 in connection with a prior filing of the Registration Statement.

(4)

(2)

Represents shares of common stock issued upon the conversion of Series B Preferred Stock purchased pursuant to our private placement, which had its final closing on April 15, 2016 (the “2016 Private Placement”) that were converted into common stock upon our reverse stock split which occurred on July 27, 2016 (the “Reverse Split”).

(3)

There has been a very limited market for our common stock. While our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB, there has been negligible trading volume. The proposed maximum offering price per share is based on the per share price of our Series B Preferred Stock in the 2016 Private Placement of $1.25 inIn accordance with Rule 457(g).

(4)

Represents shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of Series B Preferred Stock purchased in the 2016 Private Placement that remained outstanding following the Reverse Split.

(5)

Represents shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants issued in connection the 2016 Private Placement with an exercise price per share of $1.25 per share. Pursuant to Rule 416, we are also registering such indeterminable additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

(6)

The proposed maximum offering price per share is based on the exercise price of the warrants in accordance with Rule 457(g).

(7)

Previously paid.

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of457(i) under the Securities Act, of 1933, as amended, or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date asno separate registration fee is required with respect to the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to such Section 8(a), may determine.warrants registered hereby.

 

The Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

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The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the Securities and Exchange Commission declares our registration statement effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JANUARY 27, 2017

April 23, 2021

 

Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.2,650,000

Units

 

4,485,806 shares

common stock

Each unit of consisting of one share of Common Stock and one Warrant to Purchase one share of Common Stock

 

This prospectus relates to the offer for saleis a firm commitment public offering of up to an aggregate2,650,000 units, each unit consisting of 4,485,806 sharesone share of our common stock and one warrant, for a total of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. by the selling stockholders named herein (the “Selling Stockholders”). The shares of common stock offered by the selling stockholders include 3,235,694 shares of common stock, 872,766 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of our outstanding Series B Preferred Stock and 377,3462,650,000 shares of our common stock underlyingand 2,650,000 warrants to purchase up to an aggregate 2,650,000 shares of our common stock. The units have no stand-alone rights and will not be certified or issued as stand-alone securities. Each share of our common stock is being sold together with a warrant to purchase one share of our common stock. Each warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $1.25$4.98 per share.

We are not selling any securities under this Prospectus and will not receive anyshare (120% of the proceedspublic offering price of the unit). The warrants will be exercisable at any time from the saledate of issuance through the fifth anniversary of the shares by the Selling Stockholders. See “Use of Proceeds” on page 26date of this prospectus. The Selling Stockholders may sell their common stock onprospectus, unless earlier redeemed. Beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus, the warrants will be redeemable at our option, in whole or in part, at a redemption price equal to $0.025 per warrant upon 30 days’ prior written notice, at any stock exchange, market or trading facilitytime after the date on which the Shares are tradedclosing price of our Common Stock has equaled or quoted, or in private transactions. These sales may be at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market price, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at negotiated prices. See “Plan of Distribution” on page 30 of this prospectus.

We have agreed to pay certain expenses in connection with the registrationexceeded $7.26 per share (175% of the common stock referenced in the prospectus on behalfpublic offering price of the Selling Stockholders.units) for at least five consecutive trading days. The shares of our Common Stock and the warrants are immediately separable and will be issued and tradeable separately, but will be purchased together as a unit in this offering.

 

Our common stock is listedcurrently trades on the OTCQB, where it is listed under the symbol “PTIX.” As of April 19, 2021, the last sale price of our common stock as reported on OTCQB was $4.82 per share. We currently estimate that the per unit public offering price will be between $4.13 and $4.17. We have assumed a per-unit public offering price of $4.15, which is the midpoint of the estimated public offering price range. There is a limited public trading market for our common stock. The final public offering price will be determined through negotiation between us and the underwriters in the offering and will take into account the recent market price of our common stock, the general condition of the securities market at the time of the offering, the history of, and the prospects for, the industry in which we compete, and our past and present operations and our prospects for future revenues. The assumed public offering price used throughout this prospectus may not be indicative of the actual offering price. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our warrants on the OTC Markets or any other trading market. Prices of our common stock as reported on the OTCQB may not be indicative of the prices of our common stock if our common stock were traded on Nasdaq. We have applied to list our common stock and warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market, under the symbol “PTIX”. There has been a very limited marketand “PTIXW”, respectively.

We believe that upon completion of the offering contemplated by this prospectus, we will meet the standards for our securities. Whilelisting on the Nasdaq Capital Market. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in listing our common stock is on the OTCQB, there has been negligible trading volume. These is no guarantee that an active trading market will develop in our securities.Nasdaq Capital Market.

 

TheseWe are speculative securities. Investinga “smaller reporting company” under applicable Securities and Exchange Commission rules and are subject to reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus and future filings.

Our business and an investment in these securities involvesour common stock involve significant risks. You should purchase these securities only if you can afford a complete loss of your investment. You should carefully consider the risk factorsPlease see “Risk factors” beginning on page 1410 of this prospectus before purchasing any of the Shares offered by this prospectus.

 

Per UnitTotal
Public offering price$$
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)$$
Proceeds to Protagenic, before expenses$$

One

(1)Does not include a non-accountable expense allowance equal to 1.0% of gross proceeds of this offering payable to the representative of the underwriters. The underwriters will also receive compensation in addition to the underwriting discount, including shares of common stock to be issued to the representative of the underwriters, which we refer to herein as the “representative shares.” See “Underwriting” on page 76 of this prospectus for a description of the compensation arrangements.

The Company has granted the underwriters an option for a period of the Selling Stockholders and intermediaries, who is identified as a broker-dealer in the footnotes45 days to the Selling Stockholder table contained in this prospectus, through whom such securities are sold is deemedpurchase up to an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with respect to the securities offered hereby, and any profits realized or commissions received may be deemed underwriting compensation. We believe that all securities purchased by broker-dealers or affiliates of broker-dealers were purchased by such persons and entities in the ordinary course of business andadditional 397,500 units from us at the time of purchase, such purchasers did not have any agreements or understandings, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute such securities.public offering price, less the underwriting discount.

 

NeitherThe underwriters expect to deliver the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approvedunits to investors on or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

about           , 2021.

 

Sole Book-Running Manager

KINGSWOOD CAPITAL MARKETS

division of Benchmark Investments, Inc.

Co-Manager

BROOKLINE CAPITAL MARKETS

a division of Arcadia Securities, LLC

The date of this prospectus is   January ,          2017.2021

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TABLEOF CONTENTS

 

Page
ABOUT THIS CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS4
MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA6
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

7

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTSTHE OFFERING

  7

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

9

THE OFFERING

13

RISK FACTORS

14

10

USE OF PROCEEDS

 26

34
DIVIDEND POLICY35

 DETERMINATION OF OFFERING PRICE

26

 SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

26

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

  30

MARKET FOR COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

  3236
CAPITALIZATION37

DIVIDEND POLICYDILUTION

  3238

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

3339
BUSINESS43

BUSINESS

40

MANAGEMENT AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

50

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

55
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION59

PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

6369

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

6471

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

6672
SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE74

UNDERWRITING

76
LEGAL MATTERS

  6979
EXPERTS79

EXPERTSINCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF CERTAIN INFORMATION

  6980

DISCLOSURE OF COMMISSION POSITION ON INDEMNIFICATION FOR SECURITIES ACT LIABILITIES

  69

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  7081
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

SIGNATURES

  80F-1

 

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You should rely only onNeither we, nor the information contained in this prospectus. Weunderwriters have not authorized any other personanyone to provide you with information different from or in addition toother than that contained in this prospectus. If anyone provides you with differentprospectus or inconsistentany free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. Neither we nor the underwriters take responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information you should not rely on it. We are not makingthat others may give you. This is an offer to sell these securitiesonly in any jurisdictionjurisdictions where an offer or saleit is not permitted. You should assume that thelawful to do so. The information appearingcontained in this prospectus or any free writing prospectus is accurate only as of theits date, on the front cover of this prospectus, regardless of theits time of delivery or of this prospectus or any sale of shares of our common stock. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

 

Additional risksNeither the Securities and uncertainties not presently knownExchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or that are currently deemed immaterial may also impair our business operations. The risks and uncertainties describeddisapproved of these securities or passed on the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

No action is being taken in this document and other risks and uncertainties which we may face inany jurisdiction outside the future will haveUnited States to permit a greater impact on those who purchase our common stock. These purchasers will purchasepublic offering of our common stock at the market price or at a privately negotiated price and will run the risk of losing their entire investments.

For investors outside the United States: We have not done anything that would permit this offeringwarrants or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States.jurisdiction. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus mustin jurisdictions outside the United States are required to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions relatingas to this public offering and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States.applicable to that jurisdiction.

 

In this prospectus, we rely on and refer to information and statistics regarding our industry. We obtained this statistical, market and other industry data and forecasts from publicly available information.

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aboutthis prospectus

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have not authorized any person to provide you with different or inconsistent information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This is not an offer to sell or seeking an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference is accurate only as of their respective dates. The Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since such dates.

We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any document that is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and in any document that is incorporated by reference herein were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties or cove4nants were accurate only as of the date when made. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurately representing the current sale of our affairs.

CAUTIONARYNOTE REGARDING STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This prospectus contains “forward-lookingincludes forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believe,which include information relating to future events, future financial performance, financial projections, strategies, expectations, competitive environment and regulation. Words such as“estimate,” “project,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “seek,” “predict,” “continue,” “possible,” “intend,” “may,” “should,“might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,”would” or “should” or, in each case, their negative, or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this prospectus and similar expressions, as well asinclude statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, our product candidates, research and development, commercialization objectives, prospects, strategies, the industry in future tense, identifywhich we operate and potential collaborations. We derive many of our forward-looking statements.statements from our operating budgets and forecasts, which are based upon many detailed assumptions. While we believe that our assumptions are reasonable, we caution that it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and, of course, it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and may not be accurate indications of when such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information we have when those statements are made or management’s good faith belief asIn light of that time with respect to future events, and are subject tothese risks and uncertainties, thatthe forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this prospectus may not occur and actual results could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressedanticipated or implied in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to:

our lack of operating history;

our current and future capital requirements and our ability to satisfy our capital needs;

our ability to complete required clinical trials of our product and obtain approval from the FDA or other regulatory agents in different jurisdictions;

our ability to maintain or protect the validity of our patents and other intellectual property;

our ability to retain key executive members;

our ability to internally develop new inventions and intellectual property;

interpretations of current laws and the passages of future laws;

acceptance of our business model by investors;

the accuracy of our estimates regarding expenses and capital requirements; and

our ability to adequately support growth.

The foregoing does not represent an exhaustive list of matters that may be covered by the forward-looking statements contained herein or risk factors that we are faced with that may cause our actual results to differ from those anticipate in our forward-looking statements. Please see “Risk Factors” for additional risks which could adversely impact our business and financial performance.

 

Moreover, new risks regularly emerge and it isForward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus. You should not possible for our management to predict or articulate all risks we face, nor can we assess the impact of all risksput undue reliance on our business or the extent to which any risk, or combination of risks, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available or other events occur in the future. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

You should read this prospectus and the documents that we reference in this prospectus and have filed with the Securities Exchange Commission, or SEC, as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect. All forward-looking statements included in this prospectus are based onupon information available to us on the date of this prospectus. ExceptThe factors set forth below under “Risk Factors” and other cautionary statements made in this prospectus should be read and understood as being applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever they appear in this prospectus.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the extent requiredfuture. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition, business and prospects may differ materially from those made in or suggested by applicable laws or rules, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise anythe forward-looking statement, whether as a resultstatements contained in this prospectus. In addition, even if our results of new information, future events or otherwise.operations, financial condition, business and prospects are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus, those results may not be indicative of results in subsequent periods. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained above and throughout this prospectus.

 

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EXPLANATORY NOTERISK FACTOR SUMMARY

 

On February 12, 2016, Artinsic, Inc.,Below is a Delaware corporation, (“Atrinsic”) completed a reverse business combination (merger) whereby Atrinsic’s wholly-owned subsidiary Protagenic Acquisition Corp. was merged withsummary of material factors that make an investment in our securities speculative or risky. Importantly, this summary does not address all of the risks and into Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation,uncertainties that we face. Additional discussion of the risks and Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. became the wholly-owned subsidiary of Atrinsic. On June 17, 2016, Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (the then wholly-owned subsidiary of Atrinsic) was merged with and into Atrinsic. Atrinsic was the surviving corporationuncertainties summarized in this mergerrisk factor summary, as well as other risks and changeduncertainties that we face, can be found under “Risk Factors” in this Registration Statement. The below summary is qualified in its name from Atrinsic to Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.entirety by that more complete discussion of such risks and uncertainties. You should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described under “Risk Factors” of this Registration Statement as part of your evaluation of the risks associated with an investment in our securities.

 

As usedRisks Related to Our Financial Condition and Capital Requirements

● The Company’s financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, and do not include adjustments that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern.

● If we continue to incur operating losses and fail to obtain the capital necessary to fund our operations, we will be unable to advance our development programs, complete our clinical trials, or bring products to market, or may be forced to reduce or cease operations entirely. In addition, any capital obtained by us may be obtained on terms that are unfavorable to us, our investors, or both.

● Unstable market and economic conditions may have serious adverse consequences on our ability to raise funds, which may cause us to cease or delay our operations.

● Covid-19 could adversely impact our business, including our clinical trials, and financial condition.

Risks Related to Clinical Development and Regulatory Approval

● Our results to date provide no basis for predicting whether any of our product candidates will be safe or effective, or receive regulatory approval.

● We may not be able to initiate and complete preclinical studies and clinical trials for our product candidates which could adversely affect our business.

● If we experience delays or difficulties in the enrollment of subjects to our clinical trials, our receipt of necessary regulatory approvals could be delayed or prevented, which could materially affect our financial condition.

● If the market opportunities for our current and potential future drug candidates are smaller than we believe they are, our ability to generate product revenues will be adversely affected and our business may suffer.

Risks Related to Our Reliance on Third Parties

● We have no experience in sales, marketing and distribution and may have to enter into agreements with third parties to perform these functions, which could prevent us from successfully commercializing our product candidates.

● Data provided by collaborators and other parties upon which we rely have not been independently verified and could turn out to be inaccurate, misleading, or incomplete.

● We rely on third parties to conduct our non-clinical studies and our clinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize our current product candidates or any future products, on a timely basis or at all, and our financial condition will be adversely affected.

Risks Related to Commercialization of Our Product Candidates

● We have no experience as a company in commercializing any product. If we fail to obtain commercial expertise, upon product approval by regulatory agencies, our product launch and revenues could be delayed.

● We may not be able to gain market acceptance of our product candidates, which would prevent us from becoming profitable.

● We may not be able to manufacture our product candidates in clinical or commercial quantities, which would prevent us from commercializing our product candidates.

● Disputes under key agreements or conflicts of interest with our scientific advisors or clinical investigators could delay or prevent development or commercialization of our product candidates.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

● We may not be able to maintain our exclusive worldwide license to use and develop PT00114 which could materially affect our business plan.

Risks Related to Our Business Operations and Industry

● If we are not able to retain our current senior management team and our scientific advisors or continue to attract and retain qualified scientific, technical and business personnel, our business will suffer.

● We may encounter difficulties in managing our growth, which could adversely affect our operations.

● Healthcare reform measures could adversely affect our business.

● Our business and operations are vulnerable to computer system failures, cyber-attacks or deficiencies in our cyber-security, which could increase our expenses, divert the attention of our management and key personnel away from our business operations and adversely affect our results of operations.

● Failure to comply with health and data protection laws and regulations could lead to government enforcement actions (which could include civil or criminal penalties), private litigation or adverse publicity and could negatively affect our operating results and business.

● If we, our CROs or our IT vendors experience security or data privacy breaches or other unauthorized or improper access to, use of, or destruction of personal data, we may face costs, significant liabilities, harm to our brand and business disruption.

● If we do not comply with laws regulating the protection of the environment and health and human safety, our business could be adversely affected.

Risks Associated to our Common Stock

● Our common stock is a “Penny Stock” subject to specific rules governing its sale to investors that could impact its liquidity.

● There is no recent trading activity in our common stock and there is no assurance that an active market will develop in the future.

● Our ability to list on Nasdaq will require raising significant capital; failure to qualify to trade on Nasdaq will make it more difficult to raise capital.

● The market price of our common stock may be volatile, which could lead to losses by investors and costly securities litigation.

● If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or detect fraud. Consequently, investors could lose confidence in our financial reporting and this may decrease the trading price of our stock.

● Investors may experience dilution of their ownership interests because of the future issuance of additional shares of our common stock.

● Our common stock is controlled by insiders.

● We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future and may never pay dividends.

● Our certificate of incorporation allows for our board to create new series of preferred stock without further approval by our stockholders, which could adversely affect the rights of the holders of our common stock.

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MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA

This prospectus contain statistical data, estimates and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications or other publicly available information, as well as other information based on our internal sources. While we believe the industry and market data included in this prospectus are reliable and are based on reasonable assumptions, these data involve many assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to these estimates. We have not independently verified the termsaccuracy or completeness of the “Company,” “we,” “us,”data contained in these industry publications and “our” referother publicly available information. The industry in which we operate is subject to Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. after giving effecta high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in the mergers. The terms “Atrinsic”sections titled and “Predecessor” refer to Atrinsic, Inc. before giving effect to the mergers,“Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and the term “Protagenic” refers to Protagenic Therapeutic, Inc. before giving effect to the mergers.“Risk Factors” included in this prospectus.

 

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PROSPECTUSSUMMARY

 

This summary highlights certain information containedpresented in other parts ofgreater detail elsewhere in this prospectus. Because it is aThis summary it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making youran investment decision. Before investing in our common stock, youYou should read the entire prospectus carefully, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in this prospectus and the information set forth under the headings “Risk Factors” andFactors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.Operations” and our condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing. This prospectus includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements.Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “Protagenic Therapeutics,” “Protagenic,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

 

Our Company

 

Our CompanyOverview

General

 

We are a biotechnology company that specializesbiopharmaceutical corporation specializing in the discovery and development of therapeutics to treat stress-related neuropsychiatric and mood disorders utilizing synthetic forms of endogenous brain signaling peptides that can dampen overactive stress responses.

The mechanism by which we will target these stress-related disorders is based on over 15 years of work elucidating the role of Teneurin Carboxy-terminal Associated Peptide (“TCAP”), which has been found to have a central nervous system (“CNS”)role in maintaining healthy brain signaling. TCAP is an endogenous counterbalance to the negative effects of stress and its criticality is underscored by a high degree of evolutionarily preservation. TCAP signaling counteracts the effects of Corticotropin Releasing Factor on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis, thus reducing the stress hormone cortisol. We intend to bring novel forms of TCAP into human clinical development as a treatment for stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. Our missionlead compound – PT00114 – is to provide safe and effective treatments for mood, anxiety, depression and neurodegenerative disorders by using novel peptide-base, brain active therapeutics. a 41-residue peptide synthetic form of TCAP that can be administered subcutaneously, sublingually, or intra-nasally. In addition, we have a portfolio of earlier stage neuropeptides targeting the TCAP pathway that are in preclinical evaluation.

Our strategy is to develop testTCAP neuropeptide-based drug candidates, beginning with PT00114, in stress-related indications, including, but not limited to: treatment resistant depression (“TRD”), which is a subgroup of major depressive disorder (“MDD”); addiction, recidivism, or substance use disorder (“SUD”); anxiety, including generalized anxiety disorder (“GAD”), and obtain regulatory approval for various applications of these brain active therapeutics.post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”).

 

Our scientists have utilized our proprietary search algorithm to identity several new bioactive peptides in the genome. With our technology, we have created a portfolio of neuropeptides that are in various stages of development and preclinical evaluation for the treatment of various mood disorders. These neuropeptides are called PT00114, PT00121, PT00211, PT00311 and PT00411. While we intend to advance all of our neuropeptides, our near term priority will be to focus on PT00114 (our lead product candidate, which seeks to inhibit anxiety and depression without interfering with normal brain function) and PT00121 (which is a product candidate that has similar functionality as PT00114 but with a shorter peptide). We intend to advancecomplete IND-enabling studies of PT00114 through Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies, and to enter PT00114 into clinical proof-of-conceptfirst-in-human Phase I/II studies in Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) and/or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (anticipatedthe third quarter of 2021. We will be initiating our clinical start: 2017-2018).

Our current business model is designed aroundprogram with a 42-patient basket trial in collaboration with Dr. Maurizio Fava, the further developmentPsychiatrist-in-Chief of our applications,the Massachusetts General Hospital and co-principal investigator of STAR*D, the largest research study ever conducted in depression. We will enroll a healthy human cohort and four stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders: TRD, SUD, GAD, and PTSD. We will be using this study for both safety and preliminary efficacy signal-finding to obtainprioritize indications for later stage development. we’ve chosen these four indications for multiple reasons, including direct linkage to the required regulatory approvals to allow formechanism of TCAP in reducing biological stress signals, preclinical evidence of efficacy in animal models of these disorders, and the commercialization of our neuropeptide-based applications and products. If approval is obtained, we expect to begin our sales efforts and anticipate generating revenue through both licensing and direct sales of our products. We believe that we can establish and subsequently strengthen ourhigh unmet need in these patient populations, which creates significant market position in the following ways: (i) working to obtain FDA approval of current and future neuropeptide applications; (ii) investigating foreign markets for the use of our current and future products; (iii) securing relationships with strong partners in our field; (iv) entering into license agreements, strategic partnerships and joint ventures for our various applications; and, (v) continuing our current research into improving our processes, reducing costs and developing new and innovative applications.opportunity.

 

The OpportunityOur Strategy

 

Rapidly advance our lead product candidate, PT00114, through clinical trials in treatment resistant depression, substance use disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and/or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Develop our follow-on TCAP product candidates to build out a broad pipeline of assets with differentiated features using our unique expertise with this mechanism and leveraging our robust TCAP-related IP estate.
Explore efficacy in additional stress-related neuropsychiatric and mood disorders beyond initially targeted indications.
Facilitate long-term growth by building a nimble R&D, operational, clinical and commercial team.
Selectively partner our programs to enhance our value after key inflection milestones.

An estimated 340 million people worldwide and 40-60 million people in the United States alone suffer from mental disorders including Major Depressive Disorder, or MDD, including TRD, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder and various Anxiety Disorders. The global sales of anxiolytic and antidepressant drugs in the US were estimated to be $69 billion in 2013 and are projected to grow to nearly $77.1 billion by 2018. Yet, up to one-half of mood disorder patients are unresponsive to current treatments. Efficacy of therapy is challenged by non-compliance during the weeks to months required to achieve therapeutic benefit in combination with daily dosing requirements. Major targets in this space include TRD and PTSD, both indications which are highly resistant to available therapies.

 

Approximately 37% of those suffering from a MDD that do not respond to the current antidepressant medications constitute a separate group of people suffering from TRD. Despite a large patient population and current treatments that leave much room for improvement, the developmental pipelines are sparse and few novel candidates are in development. The serendipitous discoveries of current drug classes, and lack of efficacy have led to shrinkage or extinction of many pharma or small biotech neuroscience research programs. It is in this TRD market that we intend to focus our PT00114 development efforts.

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Competitive Landscape

 

The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are highly competitive and characterized by rapidly evolving technology and intense research and development efforts. We expect to compete with companies, including major international pharmaceutical companies, and other institutions that have substantially greater financial, research and development, marketing and sales capabilitiesandcapabilities and have substantially greater experience in undertaking preclinical and clinical testing of products, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing and selling biopharmaceutical products. We will face competition based on, among other things, product efficacy and safety, the timing and scope of regulatory approvals, product ease of use and price.

 

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While we believe that our lead candidate, PT00114, presents a number ofseveral competitive advantages over competing products, there are a number of competing drug classes currently commercially available for TRD, including, SSRI/SNRI’s, opioid receptor modulators, atypical antipsychotics, with antidepressant effects (dopamine receptor modulators), ketamine-like TRD drugsketamine/esketamine and N-methyl-D-aspartateNMDA receptor modulators.

 

Corporate Information

 

We are currently a Delaware corporation with one subsidiary, named Protagenic Therapeutics Canada (2006) Inc., a corporation formed in 2006 under the laws of the Province of Ontario, Canada.

We were most recently known as Atrinsic, Inc., a company that was once a reporting company under the Securities Act, but that, in 2012 and 2013, reorganized under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code and emerged from bankruptcy. On February 12, 2016, we acquired Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. through a reverse merger (see “Recent Developments – TheReverse Business Combination (Merger) Transaction”). On June 17, 2016, Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (the then wholly-owned subsidiary of Atrinsic, Inc.) was merged with and into Atrinsic, Inc. Atrinsic, Inc. was the surviving corporation in this merger and changed its name from Atrinsic, Inc. to Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (see “Recent Developments – The Subsidiary Merger”).

Our principal offices are located at 149 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010. Our telephone number is (212) 994-8200. Our web address is www.protagenic.com. Information contained in or accessible through our web site is not, and should not be deemed to be, part of this prospectus.

 

Recent Developments

Convertible Note Offering

Reverse Stock Split

 

Our stockholders votedFrom November 2019 through August 2020, we completed a convertible note offering consisting of eight closings and gross proceeds of $2.0 million (the “Convertible Note Offering”). The Notes will be due on November 6, 2023 (the “Maturity Date”). They accrue simple interest at a special meeting heldan annual rate of 6% on June 17, 2016 in favor of,the aggregate unconverted and we effectuated, a 1-for-15,463.7183 reverse stock split of our common stock, oroutstanding principal amount, payable annually, which began on October 31, 2020. The Company will pay (a “PIK Payment”) the Reverse Split. Additionally,interest due by adding such interest (including interest at the Default Rate, as a resultdefined below, if any) to the then-outstanding principal amount of the Reverse SplitNotes on each interest payment date and in accordance with our certificate of designations for our Series B Preferred Stock, our Series B Preferred Stock immediately and automatically converted into our common stock on a 1-for-1 basis other than any Series B Preferred Stock (i) to the extent (but only to the extent) a Series B Preferred Stock holder would beneficially own greater than 9.99% of our common stock (the “Springing Blocker”) and (ii) such holder has notified the Company in writing that it wants the Springing Blocker to apply to such holder. On July 27, 2016, 10,146,000 of the Company’s 11,018,766 outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock were eligible to immediately convert into 10,146,000 shares of the Company’s common stock (accounting for the Reverse Split ratio) with 872,766 shares of Series B Preferred Stock remaining as a result of one holder exercising the Springing Blocker. As of September 30, 2016, 8,221,837 shares of the Series B Preferred Stock were converted into 8,221,837 shares of common stock on the records of the Company, with the balance of the eligible shares of Series B Preferred Stock (1,924,163) being converted on the records of the Company during the fourth quarter of 2016 once all of the administrative paperwork was submitted to the Company’s transfer agent.

Any Series B Preferred Stock not converted as a result of this provision would automaticallyMaturity Date. Holders may convert into common stock as soon as such conversion would not violate the Springing Blocker. Our Series B Preferred Stock will cease to be designated as a separate series of our preferred stock when all of such shares have converted into shares of our common stock.

In connection with the Reverse Split, our board of directors may,their Notes (including accrued interest) at their option, in its discretion, provide special treatment to certain of our stockholders to preserve round lot holders (i.e., holders owningwhole or in part, at least 100 sharesany time prior to the Reverse Split) after the Reverse Split. Our board of directors may elect, in its discretion, to provide such special treatment to the record holders of our common stock only on a per certificate basis or more generally to the beneficial holders of our common stock. For example, if our board determines to provide such special treatment to record holders only, the record holders of our common stock holding a certificate representing 1,546,371 or fewer shares of common stock but at least 100 shares of common stock would receive 100 shares of common stock after the Reverse Split with respect to each such certificate, and record holders holding a certificate representing less than 100 shares of our common stock would not be affected and would continue to hold a certificate representing the same number of shares as such stockholders held before the Reverse Split. In the alternative, if our board determines to provide such special treatment to beneficial holders generally, the beneficial holders of our common stock beneficially holding 1,546,371 or fewer shares of our common stock but at least 100 shares of our common stock would receive 100 shares of our common stock after the Reverse Split, and persons beneficially holding less than 100 shares of our common stock would not be affected by the Reverse Split and would continue to hold the same number of shares as such stockholders held before the Reverse Split. The terms and conditions of special treatment afforded to our stockholders to preserve round lot stockholders, if any, including the record dates for determining which stockholders may be eligible for such special treatment, will be established in the discretion of our board of directors.

The Subsidiary Merger

On June 17, 2016, we merged Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc., our wholly-own subsidiary as a result of the Reverse Business Combination (Merger) described below, with and into the Company. Simultaneously with this subsidiary merger, we changed our name from Atrinsic, Inc. to Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.

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TheReverse Business Combination (Merger) Transaction

On February 12, 2016, which we refer to as the Merger ClosingMaturity Date, Atrinsic, Inc., Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. and Protagenic Acquisition Corp., Atrinsic, Inc.’s wholly-owned subsidiary, entered into a merger agreement and completed the merger contemplated by the merger agreement. Pursuant to the merger agreement, on the Merger Closing Date, Protagenic Acquisition Corp. merged with and into Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc., with Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. remaining as the surviving entity and wholly-owned subsidiary of Atrinsic, Inc.

Simultaneously with the Merger, on the Closing Date all of the issued and outstanding shares of Protagenic common stock converted, on a 1-for-1 basis into shares of the Company’s Series B Preferred Stock, par value $0.000001 per share (“Series B Preferred Stock”) (assuming no exercise of dissenters’ rights by any Protagenic stockholder). Also on the Closing Date, all of the issued and outstanding options to purchase shares of Protagenic common stock, and all of the issued and outstanding warrants to purchase shares of Protagenic common stock, converted, on a 1-for-1 basis, into options (the “New Options”) and new warrants (the “New Warrants”) respectively, to purchase shares of our Series B Preferred Stock. The New Options will be administered under Protagenic’s 2006 Employee, Director and Consultant Stock Plan (the “2006 Plan”), which the Company assumed and adopted on the Closing Date in connection with the Merger.

On the Closing Date, (i) the former Protagenic common stock was exchanged for the right to receive 6,612,838 shares of Series B Preferred Stock; (ii) New Options to purchase 1,807,744 shares of Series B Preferred granted under the 2006 Plan, having an average exercise price of approximately $0.87 per share, were issued to optionees pursuant to the assumption of the 2006 Plan; (iii) the holders of options to purchase the common stock of Atrinsic before the Merger (“Predecessor”) were issued options (“Predecessor Options”) to purchase 17,784 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at $1.25 per share; (iv) New Warrants to purchase 3,403,367 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at an average exercise price of approximately $1.03 per share were issued to holders of Protagenic warrants; and (v) 2,775,000 shares of Series B Preferred Stock were issued to investors at a purchaseconversion price of $1.25 per share in the Private Offering, as defined below. In addition, warrants (“Predecessor Warrants”) to purchase 295,945 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at $1.25 per share were issued to Strategic Bio Partners, LLC, the designee (the “Designee”) of the holders of Predecessor’s debt,Company’s common stock. The Conversion Price is subject to adjustment for any stock dividend, stock split, combination or other similar recapitalization event. On the Maturity Date, the Company is required to repay the Notes (including accrued interest) in consideration of the cancellation of debt $665,000their entirety in principal and $35,000cash or, at its option, in interest, and Placement Agent Warrants, as such term is defined below, to purchase 127,346 shares of Series B Preferred Stock were issued to the Placement Agent of the Private Offering. The common stockholders of Predecessor before the Merger retained 400,000,000 shares of our common stock, par value $0.000001 per share (which became 25,867 shares of common stock at the Conversion Price.

Recent Developments

COVID-19

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) declared the Covid-19 outbreak to be a global pandemic. In addition to the devastating effects on human life, the pandemic is having a negative ripple effect on the global economy, leading to disruptions and volatility in the global financial markets. Most U.S. states and many countries have issued policies intended to stop or slow the further spread of the disease. Covid-19 and the U.S. response to the pandemic are significantly affecting the economy. There are no comparable events that provide guidance as to the effect the Covid-19 pandemic may have, and, as a result, the ultimate effect of the Reverse Split). In addition, uponpandemic is highly uncertain and subject to change. We do not yet know the effectivenessfull extent of the Merger, the holders of the Predecessor’s Series A Preferred Stock exchanged all of the issued and outstanding Series A Preferred Stock for an aggregate of 297,468 shares of Series B Preferred Stock (which became 297,468 shares of common stock as a result of the Reverse Split). These shares were issued to the Designee.

The Merger was treated as a recapitalization of Atrinsic Inc. for financial accounting purposes and the historical financial statements of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. are our financial statements as a result of the Merger. The parties to the Merger Agreement have agreed to take all actions necessary to ensure the Merger is treated as a “plan of reorganization” under Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Following the Closing Date, our board of directors consists of five members. Four of these directors were designated by the former stockholders of Protagenic, and one of these directors was to be designated by the Designee. In keeping with the foregoing,effects on the Closing Date, Edward Gildea and Jonathan Schechter,economy, the directors of Atrinsic before the Merger, appointed five new directors to fill vacancies on the board of directors. Mr. Schecter and Mr. Gildea thereafter resigned effective the Closing Date. The appointment of Garo H. Armen, Khalil Barrage, Robert B. Stein, Gregory H. Ekizian and Josh Silverman as directors was effective immediately. Also on the Closing Date, Mr. Gildea and David Horin, the officers of Atrinsic, resigned and new executive officers designated by Protagenic were appointed. Our officers and directors as of the Closing Date are further identified in this prospectus under the heading “Directors and Executive Officers.”markets we serve, our business, or our operations.

 

In connection with the Merger, we assumed and adopted the 2006 Plan, and as described above option holders under that plan will be granted New Options to purchase Series B Preferred Stock. As a result of the Reverse Split, all outstanding options automatically and immediately converted into options to purchase common stock on a post Reverse Split basis.

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201THE OFFERING6 Private Placement

 

Concurrently with the closing of the Merger, we conducted the first closing of an offering (the “Private Offering”) of our Series B Preferred Stock. At the first closing, we sold 2,775,000 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at a purchase price of $1.25 per share, for which we received total gross consideration of $3,468,750. Of this amount, $350,000 consisted of conversion of outstanding stockholder debt held by Garo H. Armen, our chairmen and a member of our board of directors, and $150,000 of legal expenses incurred by Strategic Bio Partners LLC, stockholders of the Predecessor, in conjunction with and as allowed by the Merger agreement. On March 2, 2016 we completed the second closing of the Private Offering, at which we issued an additional 913,200 shares of Series B Preferred Stock to accredited investors, for total gross proceeds of $1,141,500. On April 15, 2016, we completed the final closing of the Private Offering, at which we issued an additional 420,260 shares of Series B Preferred Stock to accredited investors, for total gross proceeds of $525,325.

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We paid the Katalyst Securities LLC, our placement agent (the “Placement Agent”) and its selected dealers for the Private Offering a commission of 10% of the funds raised in the Private Offering from investors introduced by the Placement Agent and its selected dealers. In addition, the Placement Agent received $15,000 to reimburse it for its expenses in the private Offering, and the placement Agent and its selected dealers were issued warrants (the “Placement Agent Warrants”) to purchase a number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock equal to 10% of the shares of Series B Preferred Stock sold to investors in the Private Offering who were introduced by the Placement Agent and its selected dealers. The Placement Agent Warrants, which contain a “cashless exercise” provision, are exercisable for a period of five years from the initial closing of the Private Offering at a price of $1.25 per share.

For all three closings, we raised total gross proceeds of $4,635,575 and total net proceeds of $4,283,438 (or total gross proceeds of $5,135,575 and total net proceeds of $4,783,438, including the conversion of the $350,000 in principal and interest of stockholder debt and $150,000 of legal expenses incurred by Predecessor stockholders as allowed by the Merger agreement). We issued 4,108,460 shares of Series B Preferred Stock to investors in the Private Offering (which became 4,108,460 shares of common stock as a result of the Reverse Split). The Placement Agent and its selected dealers were paid total cash commissions of $159,183 and the Placement Agent was paid an expense allowance of $15,000 and was issued (together with its selected dealers) Placement Agent Warrants to purchase 127,346 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at an exercise price of $1.25 per share (which became 127,346 shares of common stock as a result of the Reverse Split).

Pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, we are registering the shares of common stock underlying the Series B Preferred Stock and the Placement Agent Warrants issued in the 2016 Private Placement for public resale by the selling stockholders named herein and their assigns.

Debt Exchange

Simultaneous with the Merger and the Private Offering, holders of $665,000 of Atrinsic’s debt accompanied with $35,000 in accrued interest exchanged such debt for five-year warrants of Predecessor (the “Predecessor Warrants”) to purchase 295,945 shares of Series B Preferred Stock (which became 295,945 shares of common stock as a result of the Reverse Split) at $1.25 per share.

Split-Off Agreements

At the closing of the Merger we had a 51% interest in MomSpot LLC, and the remaining 49% was held by B.E. Global LLC. Barry Eisenberg is the sole owner of B.E. Global LLC and is the Chief Executive Officer of MomSpot LLC. Immediately after the closing of the Merger, we split off our 51% membership interests in MomSpot LLC. The split-off was accomplished through the transfer of all of our membership interests of MomSpot LLC to B.E. Global LLC.

Immediately after the closing of the Merger, we split off all of our equity interest in 29 wholly-owned subsidiaries. The split-off was accomplished through the sale of all equity interests in these wholly-owned subsidiaries to Quintel Holdings, Inc.

Current Ownership

As of January 26, 2017, after giving effect to the Merger Transaction and the Reverse Split, our issued and outstanding securities are as follows:

10,261,419 shares of common stock;

872,766 shares of Series B Preferred Stock;

 

Securities offered by the Company

• 

New Options2,650,000 units, each unit consisting of one share of our common stock and one warrant to purchase 1,807,744one share of common stock, for a total of 2,650,000 shares and 2,650,000 warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 2,650,000 shares of common stock. The shares of our common stock at an average exercise price of approximately $1.05 per share granted underand the 2006 Plan;warrants are immediately separable and will be issued and tradeable separately, but will be purchased together as a unit in this offering.

• 

Predecessor Options

WarrantsThe warrants will be exercisable at any time from the date of issuance through the fifth anniversary of the date of this prospectus, unless earlier redeemed. Each warrant is exercisable to purchase 17,784 sharesone share of common stock at an exercise price of $1.25$4.98 per share issued(120% of the public offering price of the unit). Beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus, the warrants will be redeemable at our option, in whole or in part, at a redemption price equal to holders$0.025 per warrant upon 30 days’ prior written notice, at any time after the date on which the closing price of Predecessor options;

Options to purchase 1,333,299 shares of common stock at a price of $1.25 per share granted under the 2016 Equity Compensation Plan.

Predecessor Warrants to purchase 295,945 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.25 per share issued to two stockholders of Predecessor in exchange for cancellation of Predecessor debt owed to them;

New Warrants to purchase 3,403,367 shares of common stock at an average exercise price of approximately $1.05 per share per share issued in exchange for warrants held by Protagenic warrant holders; and

• 

Placement Agent Warrants to purchase 127,346 shares ofour common stock at an exercisehas equaled or exceeded $7.26 (175% of the public offering price of $1.25 per share, issued to the Placement Agent in the 2016 Private Placement. 

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THEOFFERING

Common Stock Outstanding

10,261,419 shares (1)

units) for at least five consecutive trading days.
  

Common Stock Offered by SellingStockholdersto be outstanding after this offering

4,485,806

13,250,603 shares (2)

  

Option to purchase additional shares

The Company has granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 397,500 additional units.
Use of Proceeds

We will not receive anyestimate that our net proceeds from the sale of the common stock by the selling stockholders.  We would, however, receive proceeds upon the exercise of the warrants held by the selling stockholders which, if such warrants are exercised2,650,000 units in full, wouldthis offering will be approximately $471,683.  Proceeds, if any, received from the exercise of such warrants will be used$9,567,700, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We intend to use our net proceeds for enrolling up to 42 patients in a “basket” style Phase I/II clinical trial, to make key hires, to pay for additional development-related expenses, and for working capital and general corporate purposes. No assurances can be given that any of such warrants will be exercised.

  

Proposed Nasdaq Symbol

Our common stock currently trades on the OTCQB Market Symbol

PTIX

under the symbol “PTIX.” In conjunction with this offering, we have applied to list our common stock and warrants on the Nasdaq under the symbol “PTIX” and “PTIXW,” respectively. We anticipate being able to list on Nasdaq upon the completion of this offering; however, we can provide no assurances that we will be approved for such a listing.
  

Risk Factors

An investment in our company is highly speculative and involves a significant degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock.

Lock-UpWe and each of our officers, directors, and certain affiliates have agreed, subject to certain exceptions, including, without limitation, not to sell, offer, agree to sell, contract to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale of, or otherwise dispose of or hedge, directly or indirectly, any shares of our capital stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of capital stock, for a period of one-hundred eighty (180) days after the date of this prospectus, without the prior written consent of Kingswood Capital Markets, division of Benchmark Investments, Inc. See “Shares Eligible For Future Sale” and “Underwriting” for additional information.

 

The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after the consummation of this offering is based on shares of common stock outstanding as of April 15, 2021, which does not reflect the potential issuance of up to 1,255,000 shares of common stock upon the exercise of outstanding stock options under our 2006 Equity Compensation Plans and up to 4,342,861 shares of common stock upon the exercise of outstanding stock options under our 2016 Equity Compensation Plan.

Unless otherwise indicated, this prospectus reflects and assumes the following:

��

 

(1)

Asa per-unit public offering price of December 26, 2016, excluding: (i) outstanding options$4.15, which is the midpoint of the estimated public offering price range.

no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase 2,742,229additional shares of our common stock exercise prices ranging from $0.26 to $1.25 per share; (ii) up to 1,666,701 shares of our common stock that are available for issuance under our 2016 Plan;us and (iii) outstanding warrants to purchase 3,826,658 shares of common stock at exercise prices ranging from $1.00 to $1.25 per share.

(2)

Includes: (i) 127,346 shares of our common stock underlyingexcluding the Placement Agent Warrants, which have an exercise price of $1.25 per share; (ii) 250,000 shares of our common stock underlying warrants held by Brandt Mandia, which have an exercise price of $1.25 per share; and (iii) 872,766 shares of common stock issuable upon conversionthe exercise of our outstanding Series B Preferred Stock which is subjectthe warrant to be issued to the Springing Blocker.

Representative of the underwriters.
no exercise of the warrants purchased in this offering

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RISKFACTORS

 

An investment in our common stock is speculative and illiquid and involves a high degree of risk including the risk of a loss of your entire investment. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below and the other information contained in this prospectus before purchasing shares of our common stock. The risks set forth below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties may exist that could also adversely affect our business, operations and prospects. If any of the following risks actually materialize, our business, financial condition, prospects and/or operations could suffer. In such event, the value of our common stock and warrants could decline, and you could lose all or a substantial portion of the money that you pay for our common stock.units.

Risk Related to our Company and our Business

 

Risks Related to our Discovery, DevelopmentOur Financial Condition and Commercialization of New MedicinesCapital Requirements

 

The Company’s financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, and do not include adjustments that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern.

The Company’s consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had incurred significant operating losses since inception, and continues to generate losses from operations, and has an accumulated deficit of $17,698,936. These matters raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of asset amounts or the classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

We have a history of losses and expect that losses may continue in the future.

We have generated net losses since we began operations, including $2,548,735 and $1,750,911 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $17,698,936. We have no approved products and have generated no product revenue. We expect that product development, preclinical and clinical programs will increase losses significantly over the next five years. In order to achieve profitability, we will need to generate significant revenue. We cannot be certain that we will generate sufficient revenue to achieve profitability. We anticipate that we will continue to generate operating losses and negative cash flow from operations and our current cash position is sufficient to fund our current business plan at least until the second quarter of 2024. We cannot be certain that we will ever achieve, or if achieved, maintain profitability. If our revenue grows at a slower rate than we anticipate or if our product development, marketing and operating expenses exceed our expectations or cannot be adjusted accordingly, our business, results of operation and financial condition will be materially adversely affected, and we may be unable to continue operations.

We will not be able to generate product revenue unless and until one of our product candidates successfully completes clinical trials and receives regulatory approval. As our most advanced product candidates are at an early proof-of-concept stage, we do not expect to receive revenue from any product candidate for the foreseeable future. We may seek to obtain revenue from collaboration or licensing agreements with third parties. We currently have no such agreements which will provide us with material, ongoing future revenue and we may never enter into any such agreements. Even if we eventually generate revenues, we may never be profitable, and if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis.

We need to obtain financing in order to continue our operations.

On a prospective basis, we will require both short-term financing for operations and long-term capital to fund our expected growth. We have no existing bank lines of credit and have not established any definitive sources for additional financing. Additional financing may not be available to us, or if available, then it may not be available upon terms and conditions acceptable to us. If adequate funds are not available, then we may be required to delay, reduce or eliminate product development or clinical programs. Our inability to take advantage of opportunities in the industry because of capital constraints may have a material adverse effect on our business and our prospects. If we fail to obtain the capital necessary to fund our operations, we will be unable to advance our development programs and complete our clinical trials.

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In addition, our research and development expenses could exceed our current expectations. This could occur for many reasons, including:

some or all of our product candidates fail in clinical or preclinical studies and we are forced to seek additional product candidates;

our product candidates require more extensive clinical or preclinical testing than we currently expect;

we advance more of our product candidates than expected into costly later stage clinical trials;

we advance more preclinical product candidates than expected into early stage clinical trials;

we are required, or consider it advisable, to acquire or license rights from one or more third parties; or

we determine to acquire or license rights to additional product candidates or new technologies.

While we expect to seek additional funding through public or private financings, we may not be able to obtain financing on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, the terms of our financings may be dilutive to, or otherwise adversely affect, holders of our common stock and warrants. We may also seek additional funds through arrangements with collaborators or other third parties. These arrangements would generally require us to relinquish rights to some of our technologies, product candidates or products, and we may not be able to enter into such agreements, on acceptable terms, if at all. If we are unable to obtain additional funding on a timely basis, we may be required to curtail or terminate some or all of our development programs, including some or all of our product candidates.

If we continue to incur operating losses and fail to obtain the capital necessary to fund our operations, we will be unable to advance our development programs, complete our clinical trials, or bring products to market, or may be forced to reduce or cease operations entirely. In addition, any capital obtained by us may be obtained on terms that are unfavorable to us, our investors, or both.

Developing a new drug and conducting clinical trials and the regulatory review processes involves substantial costs. We have projected cash requirements for the near term based on a variety of assumptions, but some or all of such assumptions are likely to be incorrect and/or incomplete, possibly materially in an adverse direction. Our actual cash needs may deviate materially from those projections, changes in market conditions or other factors may increase our cash requirements, or we may not be successful even in raising the amount of cash we currently project will be required for the near term. We will need to raise additional capital in the future; the amount of additional capital needed will vary as a result of a number of factors, including without limitation the following:

receiving less funding than we require;
higher than expected costs to manufacture our product candidates;
higher than expected costs for preclinical testing;
an increase in the number, size, duration, and/or complexity of our clinical trials;
slower than expected progress in developing PT00114, or other product candidates, including without limitation, additional costs caused by program delays;
higher than expected costs associated with attempting to obtain regulatory approvals, including without limitation additional costs caused by additional regulatory requirements or larger clinical trial requirements;
higher than expected personnel, consulting or other costs, such as adding personnel or industry expert consultants or pursuing the licensing/acquisition of additional assets; and
higher than expected costs to protect our intellectual property portfolio or otherwise pursue our intellectual property strategy.

When we attempt to raise additional financing, there can be no assurance that we will be able to secure such additional financing in sufficient quantities or at all. We may be unable to raise additional capital for reasons including, without limitation, our operational and/or financial performance, investor confidence in us and the biopharmaceutical industry, credit availability from banks and other financial institutions, the status of current projects, and our prospects for obtaining any necessary regulatory approvals. Potential investors’ capital investments may have shifted to other opportunities with perceived greater returns and/or lower risk thereby reducing capital available to us, if available at all.

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In addition, any additional financing might not be available, and even if available, may not be available on terms favorable to us or our then-existing investors. We will seek to raise funds through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, corporate collaboration or licensing arrangements, mergers, acquisitions, sales of intellectual property, or other financing vehicles or arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities or other securities, our then-existing investors will experience dilution. If we raise funds through debt financings or bank loans, we may become subject to restrictive covenants, our assets may be pledged as collateral for the debt, and the interests of our then-existing investors would be subordinated to the debt holders or banks. In addition, our use of and ability to exploit assets pledged as collateral for debt or loans may be restricted or forfeited. To the extent that we raise additional funds through collaboration or licensing arrangements, we may be required to relinquish significant rights (including without limitation intellectual property rights) to our technologies or product candidates, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. If we are not able to raise needed funding under acceptable terms or at all, then we will have to reduce expenses, including the possible options of curtailing operations, abandoning opportunities, licensing or selling off assets, reducing costs to a point where clinical development or other progress is impaired, or ceasing operations entirely.

We have a limited operating history, expect to incur significant operating losses, and have a high risk of never being profitable.

We commenced operations in February 2016 through a reverse merger and have a limited operating history of less than five years. Therefore, there is limited historical financial or operational information upon which to evaluate our performance. Our prospects must be considered in light of the uncertainties, risks, expenses, and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in their early stages of operations. Many if not most companies in our industry at our stage of development never become profitable and are acquired or go out of business before successfully developing any product that generates revenue from commercial sales or enables profitability.

As of December 31, 2020, we have incurred an accumulated deficit of $17,698,936. We expect to continue to incur substantial operating losses over the next several years for the clinical development of our current and future licensed or purchased product candidates.

The amount of future losses and when, if ever, we will become profitable are uncertain. We do not have any products that have generated any revenues from commercial sales, and do not expect to generate revenues from the commercial sale of products in the near future, if ever. Our ability to generate revenue and achieve profitability will depend on, among other things, successful completion of the development of our product candidates; obtaining necessary regulatory approvals from the FDA and international regulatory agencies; establishing manufacturing, sales, and marketing arrangements with third parties; obtaining adequate reimbursement by third-party payers; and raising sufficient funds to finance our activities. If we are unsuccessful at some or all of these undertakings, our business, financial condition, and results of operations are expected to be materially and adversely affected.

As a recently established public reporting company, we are subject to SEC reporting and other requirements, which will lead to increased operating costs in order to meet these requirements.

Unstable market and economic conditions may have serious adverse consequences on our ability to raise funds, which may cause us to cease or delay our operations.

From time to time, global and domestic credit and financial markets have experienced extreme disruptions, including severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, increases in unemployment rates, and uncertainty about economic stability. Our financing strategy will be adversely affected by any such economic downturn, volatile business environment and continued unpredictable and unstable market conditions. If the equity and credit markets deteriorate, it may make a debt or equity financing more difficult to complete, costlier, and more dilutive. Failure to secure any necessary financing in a timely manner and on favorable terms will have a material adverse effect on our business strategy and financial performance, and could require us to cease or delay our operations.

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Our financial and operating performance may be adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The recent outbreak of a strain of coronavirus (Covid-19) in the U.S. has had an unfavorable impact on our business operations. Mandatory closures of businesses imposed by the federal, state and local governments to control the spread of the virus is disrupting the operations of our management, business and finance teams. In addition, the Covid-19 outbreak has adversely affected the U.S. economy and financial markets, which may result in a long-term economic downturn that could negatively affect future performance. The extent to which Covid-19 will impact our business and our consolidated financial results will depend on future developments which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted at the time of the filing of this prospectus, but is expected to result in a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Covid-19 could adversely impact our business, including our clinical trials, and financial condition.

We are subject to risks related to public health crises such as the global pandemic associated with Covid-19. In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. Since then, Covid-19 has spread to most countries and all 50 states within the United States, including countries and states in which we have planned or active clinical trial sites. As Covid-19 continues to spread around the globe, we have and/or will likely experience disruptions that could severely impact our business and clinical trials, including:

delays or difficulties in enrolling patients in our clinical trials;
`delays or difficulties in clinical site initiation, including difficulties in recruiting clinical site investigators and clinical site staff;
diversion of healthcare resources away from the conduct of clinical trials, including the diversion of hospitals serving as our clinical trial sites and hospital staff supporting the conduct of our clinical trials;
interruption of key clinical trial activities, such as clinical trial site monitoring, due to limitations on travel imposed or recommended by federal or state governments, employers and others or interruption of clinical trial subject visits and study procedures, the occurrence of which could affect the integrity of clinical trial data;
risk that participants enrolled in our clinical trials will acquire Covid-19 while the clinical trial is ongoing, which could impact the results of the clinical trial, including by increasing the number of observed adverse events;
limitations in employee resources that would otherwise be focused on the conduct of our clinical trials, including because of sickness of employees or their families or the desire of employees to avoid contact with large groups of people;
delays in receiving authorizations from local regulatory authorities to initiate our planned clinical trials;
delays in clinical sites receiving the supplies and materials needed to conduct our clinical trials;
interruption in global shipping that may affect the transport of clinical trial materials, such as investigational drug product used in our clinical trials;
changes in local regulations as part of a response to the Covid-19 pandemic which may require us to change the ways in which our clinical trials are conducted, which may result in unexpected costs, or to discontinue the clinical trials altogether;
interruptions or delays in preclinical studies due to restricted or limited operations at our research and development laboratory facilities;
delays in necessary interactions with local regulators, ethics committees and other important agencies and contractors due to limitations in employee resources or forced furlough of government employees; and
refusal of the FDA to accept data from clinical trials in affected geographies outside the United States.

Numerous state and local jurisdictions have imposed, and others in the future may impose, “shelter-in-place” orders, quarantines, executive orders and similar government orders and restrictions for their residents to control the spread of Covid-19. Starting in mid-March 2020, the governor of New York, where our corporate operations are based, issued “shelter-in-place” or “stay at home” orders restricting non-essential activities, travel and business operations for an indefinite period of time, subject to certain exceptions for necessary activities. Similar orders and restrictions have been imposed in California and Massachusetts, and such orders or restrictions have resulted in our office closing, work stoppages, slowdowns and delays, travel restrictions and cancellation of events, among other effects, thereby negatively impacting our operations. In addition, even after the “shelter-in-place” orders, quarantines, executive orders and similar government orders and restrictions for their residents to control the spread of Covid-19 are lifted, we may continue to experience disruptions to our business.

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The global pandemic of Covid-19 continues to rapidly evolve. The extent to which Covid-19 may impact our business, including our clinical trials, and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, such as the ultimate geographic spread of the disease, the duration of the pandemic, travel restrictions and social distancing in the United States and other countries, business closures or business disruptions and the effectiveness of actions taken in the United States and other countries to contain and treat the disease.

Risks Related to Clinical Development and Regulatory Approval

Our results to date provide no basis for predicting whether any of our product candidates will be safe or effective, or receive regulatory approval.

 

The Company’s proprietary portfolio of five new neuropeptide hormones are in various stages of research and preclinical evaluation and their risk of failure is high. It is impossible to predict when or if any of our neuropeptide hormones will prove effective or safe in humans or will receive regulatory approval. These compounds may not demonstrate in patients the chemical and pharmacological properties ascribed to them in laboratory studies, and they may interact with human biological systems or other drugs in unforeseen, ineffective or harmful ways. If we are unable to discover or successfully develop drugs that are effective and safe in humans, we will not have a viable business.

 

We may not be able to initiate and complete preclinical studies and clinical trials for our product candidates which could adversely affect our business.

 

We must successfully initiate and complete extensive preclinical studies and clinical trials for our product candidates before we can receive regulatory approval. Preclinical studies and clinical trials are expensive and will take several years to complete and may not yield results that support further clinical development or product approvals. Conducting clinical studies for any of our drug candidates for approval in the United States requires filing an IND and reaching agreement with the FDA on clinical protocols, finding appropriate clinical sites and clinical investigators, securing approvals for such studies from the independent review board at each such site, manufacturing clinical quantities of drug candidates, supplying drug product to clinical sites and enrolling sufficient numbers of participants. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to successfully accomplish all of the activities necessary to initiate and complete clinical trials.

 

As a result, our preclinical studies and clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated, and we may be unable to obtain regulatory approvals or successfully commercialize our products.

 

None of our product candidates has received regulatory approvals. If we are unable to obtain regulatory approvals to market one or more of our product candidates, our business may be adversely affectedThe drug development and approval process is uncertain, time-consuming and expensive..

 

AllThe process of obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals for new therapeutic products is lengthy, expensive and uncertain. It also can vary substantially based on the type, complexity, and novelty of the product. We must provide the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities with preclinical and clinical data demonstrating that our product candidatesproducts are safe and effective before they can be approved for commercial sale. Clinical development, including preclinical testing, is a long, expensive and uncertain process. It may take us several years to complete our testing, and failure can occur at any stage of testing. Any preclinical or clinical test may fail to produce results satisfactory to the FDA. Preclinical and clinical data can be interpreted in early stagesdifferent ways, which could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. Negative or inconclusive results from a preclinical study or clinical trial, adverse medical events during a clinical trial or safety issues resulting from products of development, and we do not expect our product candidatesthe same class of drug could cause a preclinical study or clinical trial to be commercially available for several years,repeated or a program to be terminated, even if at all. Our product candidatesother studies or trials relating to the program are subject to strict regulation bysuccessful.

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The regulatory authorities in the United Statesapproval process is costly and in other countries. We cannot market any product candidate until we have completed all necessary preclinical studieslengthy and clinical trials and have obtained the necessary regulatory approvals. We do not know whether regulatory agencies will grant approval for any of our product candidates. Even if we complete preclinical studies and clinical trials successfully, we may not be able to successfully obtain all required regulatory approvals.

The preclinical development, clinical trials, manufacturing, marketing and labeling of pharmaceuticals are all subject to extensive regulation by numerous governmental authorities and agencies in the United States and other countries. We must obtain regulatory approvalsapproval for each of our product candidates before marketing or we mayselling any of them. It is not receive approvalspossible to make claims aboutpredict how long the approval processes of the FDA or any other applicable federal or foreign regulatory authority or agency for any of our products that we believe towill take or whether any such approvals ultimately will be necessary to effectively market our products. Datagranted. The FDA and foreign regulatory agencies have substantial discretion in the drug approval process, and positive results in preclinical testing or early phases of clinical studies offer no assurance of success in later phases of the approval process. Generally, preclinical and clinical testing of products can take many years and require the expenditure of substantial resources, and the data obtained from preclinical studiesthese tests and clinical trials are subjectcan be susceptible to varying interpretations that could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. If we encounter significant delays in the regulatory process that result in excessive costs, this may prevent us from continuing to develop our product candidates. Any delay in obtaining, or failure to obtain, approvals could adversely affect the marketing of our products and our ability to generate product revenue. The risks associated with the approval process include:

failure of our product candidates to meet a regulatory agency’s requirements for safety, efficacy and quality;

limitation on the indicated uses for which a product may be marketed;

unforeseen safety issues or side effects; and

governmental or regulatory delays and changes in regulatory requirements and guidelines.

Even if we receive regulatory approvals for marketing our product candidates, if we fail to comply with continuing regulatory requirements, we could lose our regulatory approvals, and our business would be adversely affected.

The FDA continues to review products even after they receive initial approval. If we receive approval to commercialize any product candidates, the manufacturing, marketing and sale of these drugs will be subject to continuing regulation, including compliance with quality systems regulations, good manufacturing practices, adverse event requirements, and prohibitions on promoting a product for unapproved uses. Enforcement actions resulting from our failure to comply with government and regulatory requirements or inadequate manufacturing processes are examplescould result in fines, suspension of approvals, withdrawal of approvals, product recalls, product seizures, mandatory operating restrictions, criminal prosecution, civil penalties and other problemsactions that could impair the manufacturing, marketing and sale of our potential products and our ability to conduct our business.

Even if we are able to obtain regulatory approvals for any of our product candidates, if they exhibit harmful side effects after approval, our regulatory approvals could be revoked or otherwise negatively impacted, and we could be subject to costly and damaging product liability claims.

Even if we receive regulatory approval for our product candidates, we will have tested them in only a small number of patients during our clinical trials. If our applications for marketing are approved and more patients begin to use our product, new risks and side effects associated with our products may be discovered. As a result, regulatory authorities may revoke their approvals; we may be required to conduct additional clinical trials, make changes in labeling of our product, reformulate our product or make changes and obtain new approvals for our and our suppliers’ manufacturing facilities. We might have to withdraw or recall our products from the marketplace. We may also experience a significant drop in the potential sales of our product if and when regulatory approvals for such product are obtained, experience harm to our reputation in the marketplace or become subject to lawsuits, including class actions. Any of these results could decrease or prevent approval. any sales of our approved product or substantially increase the costs and expenses of commercializing and marketing our product.

If we experience delays or difficulties in the enrollment of subjects to our clinical trials, our receipt of necessary regulatory approvals could be delayed or prevented, which could materially affect our financial condition.

Identifying, screening and enrolling patients to participate in clinical trials of our product candidates is critical to our success, and we may not be able to identify, recruit, enroll and dose a sufficient number of patients with the required or desired characteristics to complete our clinical trials in a timely manner. The timing of our clinical trials depends on our ability to recruit patients to participate as well as to subsequently dose these patients and complete required follow-up periods.

In addition, we may encounterexperience enrollment delays related to increased or rejections dueunforeseen regulatory, legal and logistical requirements at certain clinical trial sites. These delays could be caused by reviews by regulatory authorities and contractual discussions with individual clinical trial sites. Any delays in enrolling and/or dosing patients in our planned clinical trials could result in increased costs, delays in advancing our product candidates, delays in testing the effectiveness of our product candidates or in termination of the clinical trials altogether.

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Patient enrollment may be affected if our competitors have ongoing clinical trials with products for the same indications as our product candidates, and patients who would otherwise be eligible for our clinical trials instead enroll in our competitors’ clinical trials. Patient enrollment may also be affected by other factors, including:

coordination with clinical research organizations to enroll and administer the clinical trials;
 coordination and recruitment of collaborators and investigators at individual sites;
size of the patient population and process for identifying patients;
design of the clinical trial protocol;
eligibility and exclusion criteria;
perceived risks and benefits of the product candidates under study;
availability of competing commercially available therapies and other competing products’ clinical trials;
time of year in which the trials are initiated or conducted;
severity of the diseases under investigation;
ability to obtain and maintain subject consents;
ability to enroll and treat patients in a timely manner;
risk that enrolled subjects will drop out before completion of the trials;
proximity and availability of clinical trial sites for prospective patients;
ability to monitor subjects adequately during and after treatment; and
patient referral practices of physicians.

Our inability to additional government regulation from future legislation, administrative actionenroll a sufficient number of patients for clinical trials would result in significant delays and could require us to abandon one or changesmore clinical trials altogether. Enrollment delays in the FDA policy. Even if the FDA approves athese clinical trials may result in increased development costs for our product the approval will be limited to those indications covered in the approval.candidates, which could materially affect our financial condition.

 

OutsideNew federal laws or regulations on drug importation could make lower cost versions of our future products available, which could adversely affect our revenues, if any.

The prices of some drugs are lower in other countries than in the United States because of government regulation and market conditions. Under current law, importation of drugs into the United States is generally not permitted unless the drugs are approved in the United States and the entity that holds that approval consents to the importation. Various proposals have been advanced to permit the importation of drugs from other countries to provide lower cost alternatives to the products available in the United States. In addition, the MMA requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations for drug re-importation from Canada into the United States under some circumstances, including when the drugs are sold at a lower price than in the United States.

If the laws or regulations are changed to permit the importation of drugs into the United States in circumstances that are currently not permitted, such a change could have an adverse effect on our abilitybusiness by making available lower priced alternatives to our future products.

Failure to obtain regulatory and pricing approvals in foreign jurisdictions could delay or prevent commercialization of our products abroad.

If we succeed in developing any products, we intend to market any of our potential products is dependent upon receiving marketingthem in the European Union and other foreign jurisdictions. In order to do so, we must obtain separate regulatory approvals and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements. The approval procedure varies among countries and can involve additional testing. The time required to obtain approval abroad may differ from the appropriate regulatory authorities. Thesethat required to obtain FDA approval. The foreign regulatory approval processesprocess may include all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval and additional risks associated with requirements particular to those foreign jurisdictions where we will seek regulatory approval of our products. We may not obtain foreign regulatory approvals on a timely basis, if at all. Approval by the FDA does not ensure approval process described above.by regulatory authorities in other countries, and approval by one foreign regulatory authority does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other foreign countries or by the FDA. We and our collaborators may not be able to file for regulatory approvals and may not receive necessary approvals to commercialize our products in any market outside the United States. The failure to obtain these approvals could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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It is uncertain whether product liability insurance will be adequate to address product liability claims, or that insurance against such claims will be affordable or available on acceptable terms in the future.

Clinical research involves the testing of new drugs on human volunteers pursuant to a clinical trial protocol. Such testing involves a risk of liability for personal injury to or death of patients due to, among other causes, adverse side effects, improper administration of the new drug, or improper volunteer behavior. Claims may arise from patients, clinical trial volunteers, consumers, physicians, hospitals, companies, institutions, researchers, or others using, selling, or buying our products, as well as from governmental bodies. In addition, product liability and related risks are likely to increase over time, in particular upon the commercialization or marketing of any products by us or parties with which we enter into development, marketing, or distribution collaborations. Although we are contracting for general liability insurance in connection with our ongoing business, there can be no assurance that the amount and scope of such insurance coverage will be appropriate and sufficient in the event any claims arise, that we will be able to secure additional coverage should we attempt to do so, or that our insurers would not contest or refuse any attempt by us to collect on such insurance policies. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that suitable product liability insurance (at the clinical stage and/or commercial stage) will continue to be available on terms acceptable to us or at all, or that, if obtained, the insurance coverage will be appropriate and sufficient to cover any potential claims or liabilities.

If the market opportunities for our current and potential future drug candidates are smaller than we believe they are, our ability to generate product revenues will be adversely affected and our business may suffer.

Our understanding of the number of people who suffer from stress-related indications, including, but not limited to: treatment resistant depression (“TRD”), which is a subgroup of major depressive disorder (“MDD”); addiction, recidivism, or substance use disorder (“SUD”); anxiety, including generalized anxiety disorder (“GAD”), and post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) is based upon estimates. These estimates may prove to be incorrect, and new studies may demonstrate or suggest a lower estimated incidence or prevalence of this condition. The number of patients in the U.S. or elsewhere may turn out to be lower than expected, may not be otherwise amenable to PT00114 treatment, or treatment-amenable patients may become increasingly difficult to identify and access, all of which would adversely affect our business prospects and financial condition.

Risks Related to Our Reliance on Third Parties

We may not be able to obtain and maintain the third party relationships that are necessary to develop, commercialize and manufacture some or all of our product candidates.

We expect to depend on collaborators, partners, licensees, clinical research organizations, manufacturers and other third parties to support our discovery efforts, to formulate product candidates, to conduct clinical trials for some or all of our product candidates, to manufacture clinical and commercial scale quantities of our product candidates and products and to market, sell, and distribute any products we successfully develop.

We cannot guarantee that we will be able to successfully negotiate agreements for or maintain relationships with collaborators, partners, licensees, clinical investigators, manufacturers and other third parties on favorable terms, if at all. If we are unable to receiveobtain or maintain these agreements, we may not be able to clinically develop, formulate, manufacture, obtain regulatory approvals for or commercialize our product candidates, which will in turn adversely affect our business.

We expect to expend substantial management time and effort to enter into relationships with third parties and, if we successfully enter into such relationships, to manage these relationships. In addition, substantial amounts of our expenditures will be paid to third parties in these relationships. However, we cannot control the amount or timing of resources our contract partners will devote to our research and development programs, product candidates or potential product candidates, and we cannot guarantee that these parties will fulfill their obligations to us under these arrangements in a timely fashion, if at all.

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We have no experience in sales, marketing and distribution and may have to enter into agreements with third parties to perform these functions, which could prevent us from successfully commercializing our product candidates.

We currently have no sales, marketing or distribution capabilities. To commercialize our product candidates, we must either develop our own sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, which will be expensive and time consuming, or make arrangements with third parties to perform these services for us. If we decide to market any of our products on our own, we will have to commit significant resources to developing a marketing and sales force and supporting distribution capabilities. If we decide to enter into arrangements with third parties for performance of these services, we may find that they are not available on terms acceptable to us, or at all. If we are not able to establish and maintain successful arrangements with third parties or build our own sales and marketing infrastructure, we may not be unableable to commercialize our product candidates which would adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Data provided by collaborators and other parties upon which we rely have not been independently verified and could turn out to be inaccurate, misleading, or incomplete.

We rely on third-party vendors, scientists, and collaborators to provide us with significant data and other information related to our projects, clinical trials, and business. We do not independently verify or audit all of such data (including possibly material portions thereof). As a result, such data may be inaccurate, misleading, or incomplete.

In certain cases, we may need to rely on a single supplier for a particular manufacturing material or service, and any interruption in or termination of service by such supplier could delay or disrupt the commercialization of our products.

We rely on third-party suppliers for the materials used to manufacture our compounds. Some of these materials may at times only be available from one supplier. Any interruption in or termination of service by such single source suppliers could result in a delay or disruption in manufacturing until we locate an alternative source of supply. There can be no assurance that we would be successful in locating an alternative source of supply or in negotiating acceptable terms with such prospective supplier.

We rely on third parties to conduct our non-clinical studies and our businessclinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we may fail.be unable to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize our current product candidates or any future products, on a timely basis or at all, and our financial condition will be adversely affected.

We do not have the ability to independently conduct non-clinical studies and clinical trials. We rely on medical institutions, clinical investigators, contract laboratories, collaborative partners and other third parties, such as contract research organizations or clinical research organizations, to conduct non-clinical studies and clinical trials on our product candidates. The third parties with whom we contract for execution of our non-clinical studies and clinical trials play a significant role in the conduct of these studies and trials and the subsequent collection and analysis of data. However, these third parties are not our employees, and except for contractual duties and obligations, we have limited ability to control the amount or timing of resources that they devote to our programs.

Although we rely on third parties to conduct our non-clinical studies and clinical trials, we remain responsible for ensuring that each of our non-clinical studies and clinical trials is conducted in accordance with its investigational plan and protocol. Moreover, the FDA, EMA and other foreign regulatory authorities require us to comply with regulations and standards, including some regulations commonly referred to as good clinical practices (“GCPs”), for conducting, monitoring, recording and reporting the results of clinical trials to ensure that the data and results are scientifically credible and accurate, and that the trial subjects are adequately informed of the potential risks of participating in clinical trials.

In addition, the execution of non-clinical studies and clinical trials, and the subsequent compilation and analyses of the data produced, requires coordination among various parties. In order for these functions to be carried out effectively and efficiently, it is imperative that these parties communicate and coordinate with one another. Moreover, these third parties may also have relationships with other commercial entities, some of which may compete with us. Under certain circumstances, these third parties may be able to terminate their agreements with us upon short notice. If the third parties conducting our clinical trials do not perform their contractual duties or obligations, experience work stoppages, do not meet expected deadlines, terminate their agreements with us or need to be replaced, or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical trial protocols or GCPs, or for any other reason, we may need to enter into new arrangements with alternative third parties, which could be difficult, costly or impossible, and our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated or may need to be repeated. If any of the foregoing were to occur, we may not be able to obtain, on a timely basis or at all, regulatory approval for or to commercialize the product candidate being tested in such trials, and as a result, our financial condition will be adversely affected.

 

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Risks Related to Commercialization of Our Product Candidates

We have no experience as a company in commercializing any product. If we fail to obtain commercial expertise, upon product approval by regulatory agencies, our product launch and revenues could be delayed.

As a company, we have never obtained regulatory approval for, or commercialized, any product. Accordingly, we have not yet begun to build out any sales or marketing capabilities. If we are unable to establish, or contract for, effective sales and marketing capabilities, or if we are unable to enter into agreements with third parties to commercialize our product candidates on favorable terms or on any reasonable terms at all, we may not be able to effectively generate product revenues once our product candidates are approved for marketing. If we fail to obtain commercial expertise or capabilities, upon drug approval, our product launch and subsequent revenues could be delayed and /or fail to reach their commercial potential.

We may not be able to gain market acceptance of our product candidates, which would prevent us from becoming profitable.

 

We cannot be certain that any of our product candidates will gain market acceptance among physicians, patients, healthcare payers, pharmaceutical companies or others. Demonstrating the safety and efficacy of our product candidates and obtaining regulatory approvals will not guarantee future revenue. Sales of medical products largely depend on the reimbursement of patients’ medical expenses by government healthcare programs and private health insurers. Governments and private insurers closely examine medical products to determine whether they should be covered by reimbursement and if so, the level of reimbursement that will apply. We cannot be certain that third party payers will sufficiently reimburse sales of our products, or enable us to sell our products at profitable prices. Similar concerns could also limit the reimbursement amounts that health insurers or government agencies in other countries are prepared to pay for our products. In many countries where we plan to market our products, including Europe and Canada, the pricing of prescription drugs is controlled by the government or regulatory agencies. Regulatory agencies in these countries could determine that the pricing for our products should be based on prices of other commercially available drugs for the same disease, rather than allowing us to market our products at a premium as new drugs. Sales of medical products also depend on physicians’ willingness to prescribe the treatment, which is likely to be based on a determination by these physicians that the products are safe, therapeutically effective and cost-effective. We cannot predict whether physicians, other healthcare providers, government agencies or private insurers will determine that our products are safe, therapeutically effective and cost effective relative to competing treatments.

Wemay not be able to manufacture our product candidates in clinical or commercial quantities, which would prevent us from commercializingour product candidates.

 

To date, our product candidates have been manufactured in small quantities by us and third party manufacturers for preclinical studies. If any of our product candidates is approved by the FDA or other regulatory agencies for commercial sale, we will need to manufacture it in larger quantities and we intend to use third party manufacturers for commercial quantities. Our third party manufacturers may not be able to successfully increase the manufacturing capacity for any of our product candidates in a timely or efficient manner, or at all. If we are unable to successfully increase the manufacturing capacity for a product candidate, the regulatory approval or commercial launch of that product candidate may be delayed or there may be a shortage in the supply of the product candidate. Our failure or the failure of our third party manufacturers to comply with the FDA’s good manufacturing practices and to pass inspections of the manufacturing facilities by the FDA or other regulatory agencies could seriously harm our business.

 

WeOur products may not be ableaccepted for reimbursement or properly reimbursed by third-party payers.

The successful commercialization of any products we might develop will depend substantially on whether the costs of our products and related treatments are reimbursed at acceptable levels by government authorities, private healthcare insurers, and other third-party payers, such as health maintenance organizations. Reimbursement rates may vary, depending upon the third-party payer, the type of insurance plan, and other similar or dissimilar factors. If our products do not achieve adequate reimbursement, then the number of physician prescriptions of our products may not be sufficient to obtain and maintainmake our products profitable.

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Comparative effectiveness research demonstrating benefits of a competitor’s product could adversely affect the third party relationships that are necessary to develop, commercialize and manufacture some or allsales of our product candidatescandidates. If third-party payers do not consider our products to be cost-effective compared to other available therapies, they may not cover our products as a benefit under their plans or, if they do, the level of payment may not be sufficient to allow us to sell our products on a profitable basis.

Adequate third-party reimbursement may not be available to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in the product development of that product. In addition, in the U.S. there is a growing emphasis on comparative effectiveness research, both by private payers and by government agencies. To the extent other drugs or therapies are found to be more effective than our products, payers may elect to cover such therapies in lieu of our products or reimburse our products at a lower rate.

New federal legislation may increase the pressure to reduce prices of pharmaceutical products paid for by Medicare, which could adversely affect our revenues, if any.

 

We expect to depend on collaborators, partners, licensees, clinical research organizations, manufacturersThe Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and other third parties to support our discovery efforts, to formulate product candidates, to conduct clinical trialsModernization Act of 2003, or MMA, expanded Medicare coverage for drug purchases by the elderly and disabled beginning in 2006. The new legislation uses formularies, preferred drug lists and similar mechanisms that may limit the number of drugs that will be covered in any therapeutic class or reduce the reimbursement for some or all of our product candidates,the drugs in a class. More recently, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 also contained certain provisions with the potential to manufacture clinicalaffect pricing of pharmaceutical products.

As a result of the expansion of legislation, including recent healthcare insurance legislation, and commercial scale quantitiesthe expansion of our product candidates and products and to market, sell, and distribute anyfederal coverage of drug products, we successfully develop.

We cannot guaranteeexpect that there will be additional pressure to contain and reduce costs. These cost reduction initiatives could decrease the coverage and price that we will be ablereceive for our products in the future and could seriously harm our business. While the MMA applies only to successfully negotiate agreementsdrug benefits for Medicare beneficiaries, private payers often follow Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement systems, and any limits on or maintain relationships with collaborators, partners, licensees, clinical investigators, manufacturers and other third partiesreductions in reimbursement that occur in the Medicare program may result in similar limits on favorable terms, if at all. If we are unable to obtain or maintain these agreements, we may not be able to clinically develop, formulate, manufacture, obtain regulatory approvals for or commercialize our product candidates, which willreductions in turn adversely affect our business.

We expect to expend substantial management time and effort to enter into relationships with third parties and, if we successfully enter into such relationships, to manage these relationships. In addition, substantial amounts of our expenditures will be paid to third parties in these relationships. However, we cannot control the amount or timing of resources our contract partners will devote to our research and development programs, product candidates or potential product candidates, and we cannot guarantee that these parties will fulfill their obligations to us under these arrangements in a timely fashion, if at all.

payments from private payers.

 

We have no experience in sales, marketing and distribution and may have to enter into agreements with third parties to perform thesefunctions,which could prevent us from successfully commercializing our product candidates.

We currently have no sales, marketing or distribution capabilities. To commercialize our product candidates, we must either develop our own sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, which will be expensive and time consuming, or make arrangements with third parties to perform these services for us. If we decide to market any of our products on our own, we will have to commit significant resources to developing a marketing and sales force and supporting distribution capabilities. If we decide to enter into arrangements with third parties for performance of these services, we may find that they are not available on terms acceptable to us, or at all. If we are not able to establish and maintain successful arrangements with third parties or build our own sales and marketing infrastructure, we may not be able to commercialize our product candidates which would adversely affect our business and financial condition.

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We may fail to select or capitalize on the most scientifically, clinically or commercially promising or profitable product candidates.

We have limited technical, managerial and financial resources to determine which of our product candidates should proceed to initial clinical trials, later stage clinical development and potential commercialization. We may make incorrect determinations. Our decisions to allocate our research and development, management and financial resources toward particular product candidates or therapeutic areas may not lead to the development of viable commercial products and may divert resources from better opportunities. Similarly, our decisions to delay or terminate drug development programs may also be incorrect and could cause us to miss valuable opportunities.

We may not be able to maintain our exclusive worldwide license to use and develop PT00114 which could materially affect our businessplan.

On July 21, 2005, we entered into the License Agreement with UT pursuant to which UT agreed to license to us patent rights and other intellectual property related to PT00114, among other things. The Technology License Agreement was amended on February 18, 2015. There is no expiration date to this agreement as long as we continue to provide UT with progress reports every 6 months and make ongoing progress toward development of the drug. 

Pursuant to the License Agreement, we obtained an exclusive worldwide license to make, have made, use, sell and import products based upon the Technologies, or to sublicense the Technologies in accordance with the terms of the License Agreement. In the event we fail to provide UT with semi-annual reports on our progress or fail to continue to make reasonable commercial efforts towards obtaining regulatory approval for products based on the Technologies, UT may convert our exclusive license into a non-exclusive one. In such a case, we would lose our competitive advantage in the development of treatments based on PT00114.

If we are not able to retain our current senior management team and our scientific advisors or continue to attract and retain qualified scientific,technical and business personnel, our business will suffer.

We are dependent on the members of our management team and our scientific advisors for our business success. An important element of our strategy is to take advantage of the research and development expertise of our current management and to utilize the unique expertise of our scientific advisors. We do not have any employment agreements with our executive officers. The loss of any one of our executive officers or key scientific consultants, including, in particular, Garo Armen, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board, and Dr. David A. Lovejoy, our Chief Scientific Advisor, could result in a significant loss in the knowledge and experience that we, as an organization, possess and could cause significant delays, or outright failure, in the development and further commercialization of our product candidates.

To grow, we will eventually need to hire a significant number of qualified commercial, scientific and administrative personnel. However, there is intense competition for human resources, including management in the technical fields in which we operate, and we may not be able to attract and retain qualified personnel necessary for the successful development and commercialization of our product candidates. Our inability to attract new employees or to retain existing employees could limit our growth and harm our business.

We havenotentered into an employment agreement with Dr. David A. Lovejoy, our Chief Scientific Advisor.

Dr. David A. Lovejoy is a key contributor to our Company due to his role in the development of PT00114 and his continued role in the development of our products as our Chief Scientific Advisor. We have not entered into an employment agreement with Dr. Lovejoy. If Dr. Lovejoy elects to discontinue his service as our Chief Scientific Advisor, the development of our products and our overall business plan could be materially affected.

Disputes under key agreements or conflicts of interest with our scientific advisors or clinical investigators could delay or prevent development or commercialization of our product candidates.

 

Any agreements we have or may enter into with third parties, such as collaboration, license, formulation supplier, manufacturing, clinical research organization or clinical trial agreements, may give rise to disputes regarding the rights and obligations of the parties. Disagreements could develop over rights to ownership or use of intellectual property, the scope and direction of research and development, the approach for regulatory approvals or commercialization strategy. We intend to conduct research programs in a range of therapeutic areas, but our pursuit of these opportunities could result in conflicts with the other parties to these agreements who may be developing or selling pharmaceuticals or conducting other activities in these same therapeutic areas. Any disputes or commercial conflicts could lead to the termination of our agreements, delay progress of our product development programs, compromise our ability to renew agreements or obtain future agreements, lead to the loss of intellectual property rights or result in costly litigation.

 

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We collaborate with outside scientific advisors and collaborators at academic and other institutions that assist us in our research and development efforts. Our scientific advisors are not our employees and may have other commitments that limit their availability to us. If a conflict of interest between their work for us and their work for another entity arises, we may lose their services.

 

WeOur competitors and potential competitors may develop products and technologies that make ours less attractive or obsoleteencounterdifficulties in managing our growth, which could adversely affect our operations.

 

Many companies, universities, and research organizations developing competing product candidates have greater resources and significantly greater experience in financial, research and development, manufacturing, marketing, sales, distribution, and technical regulatory matters than we have. In addition, many competitors have greater name recognition and more extensive collaborative relationships. Our competitors could commence and complete clinical testing of their product candidates, obtain regulatory approvals, and begin commercial-scale manufacturing of their products faster than we are able to for our products. They could develop products that would render our product candidates, and those of our collaborators, obsolete and noncompetitive. If we are unable to compete effectively against these companies, then we may not be able to commercialize our product candidates or achieve a competitive position in the market. This would adversely affect our ability to manage our operationsgenerate revenues.

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Competition in the biotechnology and growth effectively depends uponpharmaceutical industries may result in competing products, superior marketing of other products and lower revenues or profits for us.

There are many companies that are seeking to develop products and therapies for the continual improvementtreatment of mood, anxiety and neurodegenerative disorders. Many of our procedures, reporting systems,competitors have substantially greater financial, technical, human and operational, financial,other resources than we do and management controls.may be better equipped to develop, manufacture and market technologically superior products. In addition, many of these competitors have significantly greater experience than we do in undertaking preclinical testing and human clinical studies of new pharmaceutical products and in obtaining regulatory approvals of human therapeutic products. Accordingly, our competitors may succeed in obtaining FDA approval for superior products.

Other risks and uncertainties include:

our ability to successfully complete preclinical and clinical development of our products and services
our ability to manufacture sufficient amounts of products for development and commercialization activities
our ability to obtain, maintain and successfully enforce adequate patent and other proprietary rights protection of our products and services
the scope, validity and enforceability of patents and other proprietary rights held by third parties and their impact on our ability to commercialize our products and services
the accuracy of our estimates of the size and characteristics of the markets to be addressed by our products and services, including growth projections
market acceptance of our products and services
our ability to identify new patients for our products and services
the accuracy of our information regarding the products and resources of our competitors and potential competitors
the content and timing of submissions to and decisions made by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies
our ability to obtain reimbursement for our products and services from third-party payors, and the extent of such coverage
our ability to establish and maintain strategic license, collaboration and distribution arrangements
the continued funding of our collaborations and joint ventures, if any are ultimately established
the possible disruption of our operations due to terrorist activities and armed conflict, including as a result of the disruption of operation of our subsidiaries and our customers, suppliers, distributors, couriers, collaborative partners, licensees and clinical trial sites.

Positive or timely results from preclinical studies and early clinical trials do not ensure positive or timely results in late stage clinical trials or product approval by the FDA or any other regulatory authority. Product candidates that show positive preclinical or early clinical results often fail in later stage clinical trials. Data obtained from preclinical and clinical activities is susceptible to varying interpretations, which could delay, limit, or prevent regulatory approvals.

We have limited experience in conducting the clinical trials required to obtain regulatory approval. We may not be able to implement improvementsconduct clinical trials at preferred sites, enlist clinical investigators, enroll sufficient numbers of participants, or begin or successfully complete clinical trials in an efficienta timely fashion, if at all. Any failure to perform may delay or timely mannerterminate the trials. Our current clinical trials may be insufficient to demonstrate that our potential products will be active, safe, or effective. Additional clinical trials may be required if clinical trial results are negative or inconclusive, which will require us to incur additional costs and may discover deficiencies in existing systems and controls.significant delays. If we do not meet these challenges,receive the necessary regulatory approvals, we may be unable to take advantage of market opportunities, execute our business strategies or respond to competitive pressures which in turn may slow our growth or give rise to inefficiencies that would increase our losses.

We may acquire additional technology and complementary businesses in the future. Acquisitions involve many risks, any one of which could materially harm our business, including the diversion of management’s attention from core business concerns, failure to exploit acquired technologies, or the loss of key employees from either our business or the acquired business.

Company Risks

Wehave ahistory of losses and expect that losses may continue in the future.

We have generated net losses since we began operations, including $1,023,422 and $302,481 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively. During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, we incurred a loss from operations of approximately $1,677,225. As of September 30, 2016, we had an accumulated deficit of $8,026,046. We have no approved products and have generated no product revenue. We expect that product development, preclinical and clinical programs will increase losses significantly over the next five years. In order to achieve profitability, we will need to generate significant revenue. We cannot be certain that we will generate sufficient revenue to achieve profitability. We anticipate that we will continue to generate operating losses and negative cash flow from operations at least until early to mid-2018. We cannot be certain that we will ever achieve, or if achieved, maintain profitability. If our revenue grows at a slower rate than we anticipate or if our product development, marketing and operating expenses exceed our expectations or cannot be adjusted accordingly, our business, results of operation and financial condition will be materially adversely affected and we may be unable to continue operations.

We will not be able to generate product revenue unlessrevenues and until one of our product candidates successfully completes clinical trials and receives regulatory approval. As our most advanced product candidates are at an early proof-of-concept stage, we domay not expectbecome profitable.

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Risks Related to receive revenue from any product candidate for the foreseeable future. Our Intellectual Property

We may seek to obtain revenue from collaboration or licensing agreements with third parties. We currently have no such agreements which will provide us with material, ongoing future revenue and we may never enter into any such agreements. Even if we eventually generate revenues, we may never be profitable, and if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis.

We needmaintain our exclusive worldwide license toobtainfinancing in order to continue use and develop PT00114 which could materially affect our operationsbusiness plan.

 

On a prospective basis,July 21, 2005, we will require both short-term financing for operationsentered into the License Agreement with University of Toronto, or UT, pursuant to which UT agreed to license to us patent rights and long-term capitalother intellectual property related to fund our expected growth. We have no existing bank linesPT00114, among other things. The Technology License Agreement was amended on February 18, 2015. Unless terminated, the term of credit and have not established any definitive sources for additional financing. We believe that cashthis agreement shall terminate on hand provided by the investorsexpiration or invalidity of the last issued Patent in the Private Offering will be sufficientLicense Agreement.

Pursuant to meet our short-term financial requirements for approximately eighteen months. However,the License Agreement, we will require additional funds if we wantobtained an exclusive worldwide license to fully implement our business planmake, have made, use, sell and proceedimport products based upon the Technologies, or to sublicense the Technologies in accordance with submissionthe terms of an IND/CTA application. Additional financing may not be available to us, or if available, then it may not be available upon terms and conditions acceptable to us. If adequate funds are not available, then we may be required to delay, reduce or eliminate product development or clinical programs. Our inability to take advantage of opportunities in the industry because of capital constraints may have a material adverse effect on our business and our prospects. IfLicense Agreement. In the event we fail to obtainprovide UT with semi-annual reports on our progress or fail to continue to make reasonable commercial efforts towards obtaining regulatory approval for products based on the capital necessary to fundTechnologies, UT may convert our operations,exclusive license into a non-exclusive one. In such a case, we will be unable to advancewould lose our competitive advantage in the development programs and complete our clinical trials.

In addition, our researchand development expenses could exceed our current expectations. This could occur for many reasons, including:

some or all of our product candidates fail in clinical or preclinical studies and we are forced to seek additional product candidates;

our product candidates require more extensive clinical or preclinical testing than we currently expect;

• 

we advance more of our product candidates than expected into costly later stage clinical trials;

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• 

we advance more preclinical product candidates than expected into early stage clinical trials;

we are required, or consider it advisable, to acquire or license rights from one or more third parties; or

• 

we determine to acquire or license rights to additional product candidates or new technologies.

While we expect to seek additional funding through public or private financings, we may not be able to obtain financingtreatments based on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, the terms of our financings may be dilutive to, or otherwise adversely affect, holders of our common stock. We may also seek additional funds through arrangements with collaborators or other third parties. These arrangements would generally require us to relinquish rights to some of our technologies, product candidates or products, and we may not be able to enter into such agreements, on acceptable terms, if at all. If we are unable to obtain additional funding on a timely basis, we may be required to curtail or terminate some or all of our development programs, including some or all of our product candidates.PT00114.

 

We currently do not have sufficient cash to fully implement our business plan.

We have experienced a lack of adequate capital resources causing us to be unable to fully implement our business plan. We believe that we need to raise or otherwise obtain additional financing beyond the Private Offering in order to satisfy our existing obligations and fully implement our business plan. We do not expect to have positive cash flow until the middle of 2018 or longer. If we are not successful in obtaining additional financing, we will not be able to fully implement our business plan and we may not be able to continue our operations.

We have alimitedoperating history and a history of operating losses, and expect to incur significant additional operating losses.

We began our business in September 2004 and have a limited operating history. Though we have enlisted the assistance of pharmaceutical and academic experts, our lack of experience may cause us to encounter unforeseen problems that could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. As well, there is limited historical financial information upon which to base an evaluation of our performance.

The drugdevelopment and approval process is uncertain, time-consuming and expensive.

The process of obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals for new therapeutic products is lengthy, expensive and uncertain. It also can vary substantially based on the type, complexity, and novelty of the product. We must provide the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities with preclinical and clinical data demonstrating that our products are safe and effective before they can be approved for commercial sale. Clinical development, including preclinical testing, is a long, expensive and uncertain process. It may take us several years to complete our testing, and failure can occur at any stage of testing. Any preclinical or clinical test may fail to produce results satisfactory to the FDA. Preclinical and clinical data can be interpreted in different ways, which could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. Negative or inconclusive results from a preclinical study or clinical trial, adverse medical events during a clinical trial or safety issues resulting from products of the same class of drug could cause a preclinical study or clinical trial to be repeated or a program to be terminated, even if other studies or trials relating to the program are successful.

We have to sustain andfurther build our intellectual property rights.

 

If we fail to sustain and further build our intellectual property rights, competitors will be able to take advantage of our research and development efforts to develop competing products. If we are not able to protect our proprietary technology, trade secrets, and know-how, our competitors may use our inventions to develop competing products. Protagenic has obtained worldwide exclusive rights to PT00114 and related technology that was developed at the University of Toronto.UT. The Company currently has four patents issued by the Governments of the United States, Canada, European Union and Australia. TwoAs of December 15, 2020, we have four patents issued by the Governments of the United States, Canada, European Union (validated in Germany, France and Great Britain) and Australia on our original platform technology The patent applications were made in the name of Dr. David A. Lovejoy and inventors, but the Company’s exclusive, worldwide rights to such patent applications are pending. included in the License Agreement with UT. We have three further issued patents and eight pending patent applications in related technology that the company has rights in or own.

However, our patents and patent applications, even if granted, may not protect us against our competitors. Our patent positions, and those of other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, are generally uncertain and involve complex legal, scientific and factual questions. The standards which the United States Patent and Trademark Office uses to grant patents, and the standards which courts use to interpret patents, are not always applied predictably or uniformly and can change, particularly as new technologies develop. Consequently, the level of protection, if any, that will be provided by our patents if we attempt to enforce them, and they are challenged, is uncertain. In addition, the type and extent of patent claims that will be issued to us in the future is uncertain. Any patents that are issued may not contain claims that permit us to stop competitors from using similar technology.

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In addition to our patentable technology, we also rely on unpatented technology, trade secrets, and confidential information. We may not be able to effectively protect our rights to this technology or information. Other parties may independently develop substantially equivalent information and techniques or otherwise gain access to or disclose our technology. We generally require each of our employees, consultants, collaborators, and certain contractors to execute a confidentiality agreement at the commencement of an employment, consulting, collaborative, or contractual relationship with us. However, these agreements may not provide effective protection of our technology or information or, in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure, they may not provide adequate remedies.

 

Our patent position is generally uncertain and involves complex legal and factual questions. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, and other biotechnology companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending their proprietary rights in foreign jurisdictions. Whether filed in the United States or abroad, our patent applications may be challenged or may fail to result in issued patents. In addition, any future patents we obtain may not be sufficiently broad to prevent others from practicing our technologies or from developing or commercializing competing products. Furthermore, others may independently develop or commercialize similar or alternative technologies or drugs, or design around our patents. Our patents may be challenged, invalidated or fail to provide us with any competitive advantages. We may not have the funds available to protect our patents or other technology; such protection is costly and can result in further litigation expenses.

 

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If we do not obtain or we are unable to maintain adequate patent or trade secret protection for our products in the United States, competitors could duplicate them without repeating the extensive testing that we will be required to undertake to obtain approval of the products by the FDA. Regardless of any patent protection, under the current statutory framework the FDA is prohibited by law from approving any generic version of any of our products for three years after it has approved our product. Upon the expiration of that period, or if that time period is altered, the FDA could approve a generic version of our product unless we have patent protection sufficient for us to block that generic version. Without sufficient patent protection, the applicant for a generic version of our product would be required only to conduct a relatively inexpensive study to show that its product is bioequivalent to our product and may not have to repeat the studies that we will need to conduct to demonstrate that the product is safe and effective. In the absence of adequate patent protection in other countries, competitors may similarly be able to obtain regulatory approval in those countries of products that duplicate our products.

 

We have to comply with our obligations in our intellectual property licenses with third parties.

 

If we fail to comply with our obligations in our intellectual property licenses with third parties, we could lose license rights that are important to our business.We are a party to the License AgreementsAgreement with UT under which we receive the right to practice and use important third party patent rights. We may enter into additional licenses in the future. Our existing licenses impose, and we expect future licenses will impose, various diligences, milestone payment, royalty, insurance and other obligations on us. If we fail to comply with these obligations, the licensor may have the right to terminate the license, in which event we might not be able to market any product that is covered by the licensed patents.

 

We may need to resort to litigation to enforce or defend our intellectual property rights, including any patents issued to us. If a competitor or collaborator files a patent application claiming technology also invented by us, in order to protect our rights, we may have to participate in an expensive and time consuming interference proceeding before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. We cannot guarantee that our product candidates will be free of claims by third parties alleging that we have infringed their intellectual property rights. Third parties may assert that we are employing their proprietary technologies without authorization and they may resort to litigation to attempt to enforce their rights. Third parties may have or obtain patents in the future and claim that the use of our technology or any of our product candidates infringes their patents. We may not be able to develop or commercialize combination product candidates because of patent protection others have. Our business will be harmed if we cannot obtain a necessary or desirable license, can obtain such a license only on terms we consider to be unattractive or unacceptable, or if we are unable to redesign our product candidates or processes to avoid actual or potential patent or other intellectual property infringement. Obtaining, protecting and defending patent and other intellectual property rights can be expensive and may require us to incur substantial costs, including the diversion of management and technical personnel. An unfavorable ruling in patent or intellectual property litigation could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, require us to cease developing, manufacturing or selling the affected products or using the affected processes, require us to license the disputed rights from third parties, or result in awards of substantial damages against us.

 

There can be no assurance that we would prevail in any intellectual property infringement action, will be able to obtain a license to any third party intellectual property on commercially reasonable terms, successfully develop non-infringing alternatives on a timely basis, or license non-infringing alternatives, if any exist, on commercially reasonable terms. Any significant intellectual property impediment to our ability to develop and commercialize our products could seriously harm our business and prospects.

 

Patent litigation or other litigation in connection with our intellectual property rights may lead to publicity that may harm our reputation and the value of our common stock and warrants may declinedecline..

 

During the course of any patent litigation, there may be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions, and other interim proceedings or developments in the litigation. If securities analysts or investors regard these announcements as negative, the value of our common stock and warrants may decline. General proclamations or statements by key public figures may also have a negative impact on the perceived value of our intellectual property.

 

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Protecting and defending against intellectual property claims may have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

From time to time, we may receive notice that others have infringed on our proprietary rights or that we have infringed on the intellectual property rights of others. There can be no assurance that infringement or invalidity claims will not materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Regardless of the validity or the success of the assertion of claims, we could incur significant costs and diversion of resources in protecting or defending against claims, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. We may not have the funds or resources available to protect our intellectual property.

 

OurcompetitorsIntellectual property disputes could require us to spend time and potential competitors may develop productsmoney to address such disputes and technologies that make ours less attractive or obsoletecould limit our intellectual property rights..

 

ManyThe biopharmaceutical industry has been characterized by extensive litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights, and companies universities,have employed intellectual property litigation and research organizations developing competing product candidates have greater resourcesUSPTO post-grant proceedings to gain a competitive advantage. We may become subject to infringement claims or litigation arising out of patents and significantly greater experience in financial, research and development, manufacturing, marketing, sales, distribution, and technical regulatory matters than we have. In addition, many competitors have greater name recognition and more extensive collaborative relationships. Our competitors could commence and complete clinical testing of their product candidates, obtain regulatory approvals, and begin commercial-scale manufacturing of their products faster than we are able to for our products. They could develop products that would render our product candidates, and thosepending applications of our collaborators, obsoletecompetitors, or additional interference proceedings declared by the USPTO to determine the priority and noncompetitive. Ifpatentability of inventions. The defense and prosecution of intellectual property suits, USPTO proceedings, and related legal and administrative proceedings are costly and time-consuming to pursue, and their outcome is uncertain. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our issued patents, to protect our trade secrets and know-how, or to determine the enforceability, scope, and validity of the proprietary rights of others. An adverse determination in litigation or USPTO post-grant and interference proceedings to which we are unablemay become a party could subject us to compete effectively against these companies, then wesignificant liabilities, require us to obtain licenses from third parties, or restrict or prevent us from selling our products in certain markets. Even if a given patent or intellectual property dispute were settled through licensing or similar arrangements, our costs associated with such arrangements may be substantial and could include the payment by us of large fixed payments and ongoing royalties. Furthermore, the necessary licenses may not be ableavailable on satisfactory terms or at all. Even where we have meritorious claims or defenses, the costs of litigation may prevent us from pursuing these claims or defenses and/or may require extensive financial and personnel resources to commercializepursue these claims or defenses. In addition, it is possible there may be defects of form in our product candidatescurrent and future patents that could result in our inability to defend the intended claims. Intellectual property disputes arising from the aforementioned factors, or achieve a competitive position in the market. This would adversely affectother factors, may materially harm our ability to generate revenues.

business.

 

Competitionin the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries may result in competing products, superior marketing of other products and lower revenues or profits for us.

There are many companies that are seeking to develop products and therapies for the treatment of mood, anxiety and neurodegenerative disorders. Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do and may be better equipped to develop, manufacture and market technologically superior products. In addition, many of these competitors have significantly greater experience than we do in undertaking preclinical testing and human clinical studies of new pharmaceutical products and in obtaining regulatory approvals of human therapeutic products. Accordingly, our competitors may succeed in obtaining FDA approval for superior products.

Other risks and uncertainties include:

our ability to successfully complete preclinical and clinical development of our products and services

our ability to manufacture sufficient amounts of products for development and commercialization activities

our ability to obtain, maintain and successfully enforce adequate patent and other proprietary rights protection of our products and services

the scope, validity and enforceability of patents and other proprietary rights held by third parties and their impact on our ability to commercialize our products and services

the accuracy of our estimates of the size and characteristics of the markets to be addressed by our products and services, including growth projections

market acceptance of our products and services

our ability to identify new patients for our products and services

the accuracy of our information regarding the products and resources of our competitors and potential competitors

the content and timing of submissions to and decisions made by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies

our ability to obtain reimbursement for our products and services from third-party payors, and the extent of such coverage

our ability to establish and maintain strategic license, collaboration and distribution arrangements

the continued funding of our collaborations and joint ventures, if any are ultimately established

the possible disruption of our operations due to terrorist activities and armed conflict, including as a result of the disruption of operation of our subsidiaries and our customers, suppliers, distributors, couriers, collaborative partners, licensees and clinical trial sites.

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Positive or timely results from preclinical studies and early clinical trials do not ensure positive or timely results in late stage clinical trials or product approval by the FDA or any other regulatory authority. Product candidates that show positive preclinical or early clinical results often fail in later stage clinical trials. Data obtained from preclinical and clinical activities is susceptible to varying interpretations, which could delay, limit, or prevent regulatory approvals.

We have limited experience in conducting the clinical trials required to obtain regulatory approval. We may not be able to conduct clinical trialsenforce our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

The laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S. Companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in certain foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of some countries, particularly developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, especially those relating to life sciences. This could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or the misappropriation of our other intellectual property rights. For example, many foreign countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner must grant licenses to third parties. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against third parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, patents may provide limited or no benefit.

Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions, whether or not successful, could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business. Furthermore, while we intend to protect our intellectual property rights in our expected significant markets, we cannot ensure that we will be able to initiate or maintain similar efforts in all jurisdictions in which we may wish to market PT00114 or any future products. Accordingly, our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights in such countries may be inadequate. In addition, changes in the law and legal decisions by courts in the U.S. and foreign countries may affect our ability to obtain and enforce adequate intellectual property protection for our products and technology.

Changes to the patent law in the U.S. and other jurisdictions could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our product candidates.

As is the case with other biopharmaceutical companies, our success is heavily dependent on intellectual property, particularly patents. Obtaining and enforcing patents in the biopharmaceutical industry involves both technological and legal complexity. Therefore, obtaining and enforcing biopharmaceutical patents is costly, time consuming and inherently uncertain. In addition, the U.S. has recently enacted and is currently implementing wide ranging patent reform legislation. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on several patent cases in recent years, either narrowing the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances or weakening the rights of patent owners in certain situations. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents once obtained. Depending on future actions by the U.S. Congress, the federal courts and the USPTO, as well as other jurisdictions around the world, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that would weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce our existing patents and patents that we might obtain in the future.

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Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other provisions during the patent process. There are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an event, competitors might be able to enter the market earlier than would otherwise have been the case.

If we fail to comply with our obligations under any license, collaboration or other intellectual property-related agreements, we may be required to pay damages and could lose intellectual property rights that may be necessary for developing, commercializing and protecting our current or future technologies or drug candidates or we could lose certain rights to grant sublicenses.

Any license, collaboration or other intellectual property-related agreements impose, and any future license, collaboration or other intellectual property-related agreements we enter into are likely to impose, various development, commercialization, funding, milestone, royalty, diligence, sublicensing, insurance, patent prosecution and enforcement or other obligations on us. If we breach any of these obligations, or use the intellectual property licensed to us in an unauthorized manner, we may be required to pay damages and the licensor may have the right to terminate the license. In spite of our best efforts, any of our future licensors might conclude that we have materially breached our license agreements and might therefore terminate the license agreements, thereby removing our ability to develop and commercialize products and technologies covered by these license agreements. Any license agreements we enter into may be complex, and certain provisions in such agreements may be susceptible to multiple interpretations. The resolution of any contract interpretation disagreement that may arise could narrow what we believe to be the scope our rights to the relevant intellectual property or technology, or increase what we believe to be our financial or other obligations under the relevant agreement, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.

We may seek to obtain licenses from licensors in the future, however, we may be unable to obtain any such licenses at preferred sites, enlist clinical investigators, enroll sufficient numbers of participants,a reasonable cost or begin or successfully complete clinical trials in a timely fashion,on reasonable terms, if at all. In addition, if any of our future licensors terminate any such license agreements, such license termination could result in our inability to develop, manufacture and sell products that are covered by the licensed technology or could enable a competitor to gain access to the licensed technology. Any failureof these events could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations, and ability to performachieve profitability.

Furthermore, we may delaynot have the right to control the preparation, filing, prosecution, maintenance, enforcement and defense of patents and patent applications that we license from third parties. Therefore, we cannot be certain that these patents and patent applications will be prepared, filed, prosecuted, maintained, enforced and defended in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. If our future licensors fail to prosecute, maintain, enforce and defend patents we may in-license, or terminate the trials. Our current clinical trialslose rights to licensed patents or patent applications, our license rights may be insufficientreduced or eliminated. In such circumstances, our right to demonstratedevelop and commercialize any of our products or drug candidates that is the subject of such licensed rights could be materially adversely affected. In certain circumstances, our potential products will be active, safe,licensed patent rights are subject to our reimbursing our licensors for their patent prosecution and maintenance costs.

Moreover, our licensors may own or effective. Additional clinical trialscontrol intellectual property that has not been licensed to us and, as a result, we may be requiredsubject to claims, regardless of their merit, that we are infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the licensor’s intellectual property rights and the amount of any damages or future royalty obligations that would result, if clinical trial results are negativeany such claims were successful, would depend on the technology and intellectual property we use in products that we successfully develop and commercialize, if any. Therefore, even if we successfully develop and commercialize products, due to such obligations, we may be unable to achieve or inconclusive, which will require usmaintain profitability.

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Risks Related to incur additional costsOur Business Operations and significant delays. If we do not receive the necessary regulatory approvals, we will not be able to generate product revenues and may not become profitable.Industry

 

If we are not able to retain our current senior management team and our scientific advisors or continue to attract and retain qualified scientific, technical and business personnel, our business will suffer.

We are dependent on the members of our management team and our scientific advisors for our business success. An important element of our strategy is to take advantage of the research and development expertise of our current management and to utilize the unique expertise of our scientific advisors. We do not have any employment agreements with our executive officers. The regulatory approval processloss of any one of our executive officers or key scientific consultants, including, in particular, Garo Armen, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board, and Dr. David A. Lovejoy, our Chief Scientific Advisor, could result in a significant loss in the knowledge and experience that we, as an organization, possess and could cause significant delays, or outright failure, in the development and further commercialization of our product candidates.

To grow, we will eventually need to hire a significant number of qualified commercial, scientific and administrative personnel. However, there is costly and lengthyintense competition for human resources, including management in the technical fields in which we operate, and we may not be able to successfully obtain all required regulatory approvals.

The preclinicalattract and retain qualified personnel necessary for the successful development clinical trials, manufacturing, marketing and labeling of pharmaceuticals are all subject to extensive regulation by numerous governmental authorities and agencies in the United States and other countries. We must obtain regulatory approval for eachcommercialization of our product candidates before marketingcandidates. Our inability to attract new employees or selling any of them. It is not possible to predict how long the approval processes of the FDA or any other applicable federal or foreign regulatory authority or agency for any ofretain existing employees could limit our products will take or whether any such approvals ultimately will be granted. The FDAgrowth and foreign regulatory agencies have substantial discretion in the drug approval process, and positive results in preclinical testing or early phases of clinical studies offer no assurance of success in later phases of the approval process. Generally, preclinical and clinical testing of products can take many years and require the expenditure of substantial resources, and the data obtained from these tests and trials can be susceptible to varying interpretations that could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. If we encounter significant delays in the regulatory process that result in excessive costs, this may prevent us from continuing to develop our product candidates. Any delay in obtaining, or failure to obtain, approvals could adversely affect the marketing of our products and our ability to generate product revenue. The risks associated with the approval process include:

failure of our product candidates to meet a regulatory agency’s requirements for safety, efficacy and quality;

limitation on the indicated uses for which a product may be marketed;

unforeseen safety issues or side effects; and

governmental or regulatory delays and changes in regulatory requirements and guidelines.

Even if we receive regulatory approvals for marketing our product candidates, if we fail to comply with continuing regulatory requirements, we could lose our regulatory approvals, and our business would be adversely affected.

The FDA continues to review products even after they receive initial approval. If we receive approval to commercialize any product candidates, the manufacturing, marketing and sale of these drugs will be subject to continuing regulation, including compliance with quality systems regulations, good manufacturing practices, adverse event requirements, and prohibitions on promoting a product for unapproved uses. Enforcement actions resulting from our failure to comply with government and regulatory requirements could result in fines, suspension of approvals, withdrawal of approvals, product recalls, product seizures, mandatory operating restrictions, criminal prosecution, civil penalties and other actions that could impair the manufacturing, marketing and sale of our potential products and our ability to conductharm our business.

 

Even if we are able to obtain regulatory approvals for any ofWe may encounter difficulties in managing our product candidates, if they exhibit harmful side effects after approval,growth, which could adversely affect our regulatory approvals could be revoked or otherwise negatively impacted, and we could be subject to costly and damaging product liability claims.operations.

 

Even ifOur ability to manage our operations and growth effectively depends upon the continual improvement of our procedures, reporting systems, and operational, financial, and management controls. We may not be able to implement improvements in an efficient or timely manner and may discover deficiencies in existing systems and controls. If we receive regulatory approval for our product candidates, we will have tested them in only a small number of patients during our clinical trials. If our applications for marketing are approved and more patients begin to use our product, new risks and side effects associated with our products may be discovered. As a result, regulatory authorities may revoke their approvals;do not meet these challenges, we may be requiredunable to conduct additional clinical trials, make changestake advantage of market opportunities, execute our business strategies or respond to competitive pressures which in labeling ofturn may slow our product, reformulategrowth or give rise to inefficiencies that would increase our product or make changes and obtain new approvals for our and our suppliers’ manufacturing facilities. We might have to withdraw or recall our products from the marketplace. losses.

We may also experience a significant dropacquire additional technology and complementary businesses in the potential salesfuture. Acquisitions involve many risks, any one of which could materially harm our product if and when regulatory approvals for such product are obtained, experience harmbusiness, including the diversion of management’s attention from core business concerns, failure to exploit acquired technologies, or the loss of key employees from either our reputation inbusiness or the marketplace or become subject to lawsuits, including class actions. Any of these results could decrease or prevent any sales of our approved product or substantially increase the costs and expenses of commercializing and marketing our product.acquired business.

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Healthcare reform measures could adversely affect our business.

 

The efforts of governmental and third-party payers to contain or reduce the costs of healthcare may adversely affect the business and financial condition of pharmaceutical companies. In the United States and in foreign jurisdictions there have been, and we expect that there will continue to be, a number of legislative and regulatory proposals aimed at changing the healthcare system. For example, in some countries other than the United States, pricing of prescription drugs is subject to government control, and we expect proposals to implement similar controls in the United States to continue. The pendency or approval of such proposals could result in a decrease in our common stock or warrant value or limit our ability to raise capital or to enter into collaborations or license rights to our products.

 

New federal legislation mayOur business and operations are vulnerable to computer system failures, cyber-attacks or deficiencies in our cyber-security, which could increase our expenses, divert the pressure to reduce pricesattention of pharmaceutical products paid for by Medicare, which couldour management and key personnel away from our business operations and adversely affect our revenues, if anyresults of operations..

 

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems, and those of third parties on which we rely, are to damage from: computer viruses; malware; natural disasters; terrorism; war; telecommunication and electrical failures; cyber-attacks or cyber-intrusions over the Internet; attachments to emails; persons inside our organization; or persons with access to systems inside our organization. The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvementrisk of a security breach or disruption, particularly through cyber-attacks or cyber intrusion, including by computer hackers, foreign governments, and Modernization Act of 2003, or MMA, expanded Medicare coverage for drug purchases by the elderly and disabled beginning in 2006. The new legislation uses formularies, preferred drug lists and similar mechanisms that may limitcyber terrorists, has generally increased as the number, intensity and sophistication of drugs that will be coveredattempted attacks and intrusions from around the world have increased. If such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in any therapeutic class or reduce the reimbursement for some of the drugsour operations, it could result in a class. More recently,material disruption of our product development programs. For example, the Patient Protectionloss of clinical trial data from completed or ongoing or planned clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and Affordable Care Actsignificantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach was to result in a loss of 2010 also contained certain provisions with the potentialor damage to affect pricingour data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of pharmaceutical products.

As a result of the expansion of legislation, including recent healthcare insurance legislation,confidential or proprietary information, we could incur material legal claims and liability, and damage to our reputation, and the expansion of federal coverage of drug products, we expect that there will be additional pressure to contain and reduce costs. These cost reduction initiatives could decrease the coverage and price that we receive for our products in the future and could seriously harm our business. While the MMA applies only to drug benefits for Medicare beneficiaries, private payers often follow Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement systems, and any limits on or reductions in reimbursement that occur in the Medicare program may result in similar limits on or reductions in payments from private payers.

New federal laws or regulations on drug importation could make lower cost versionsfurther development of our future products available,product candidates could be delayed. We could be forced to expend significant resources in response to a cyber security breach, including repairing system damage, increasing cyber security protection costs by deploying additional personnel and protection technologies, paying regulatory fines and resolving legal claims and regulatory actions, all of which couldwould increase our expenses, divert the attention of our management and key personnel away from our business operations and adversely affect our revenues, if any.

The prices of some drugs are lower in other countries than in the United States because of government regulation and market conditions. Under current law, importation of drugs into the United States is generally not permitted unless the drugs are approved in the United States and the entity that holds that approval consents to the importation. Various proposals have been advanced to permit the importation of drugs from other countries to provide lower cost alternatives to the products available in the United States. In addition, the MMA requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to promulgate regulations for drug re-importation from Canada into the United States under some circumstances, including when the drugs are sold at a lower price than in the United States.

If the laws or regulations are changed to permit the importation of drugs into the United States in circumstances that are currently not permitted, such a change could have an adverse effect on our business by making available lower priced alternatives to our future products.

Failure to obtain regulatory and pricing approvals in foreign jurisdictions could delay or prevent commercialization of our products abroad.

If we succeed in developing any products, we intend to market them in the European Union and other foreign jurisdictions. In order to do so, we must obtain separate regulatory approvals and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements. The approval procedure varies among countries and can involve additional testing. The time required to obtain approval abroad may differ from that required to obtain FDA approval. The foreign regulatory approval process may include all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval and additional risks associated with requirements particular to those foreign jurisdictions where we will seek regulatory approval of our products. We may not obtain foreign regulatory approvals on a timely basis, if at all. Approval by the FDA does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries, and approval by one foreign regulatory authority does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other foreign countries or by the FDA. We and our collaborators may not be able to file for regulatory approvals and may not receive necessary approvals to commercialize our products in any market outside the United States. The failure to obtain these approvals could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Failure to comply with health and data protection laws and regulations could lead to government enforcement actions (which could include civil or criminal penalties), private litigation or adverse publicity and could negatively affect our operating results and business.

We and our current and any of our future collaborators may be subject to federal, state and foreign data protection laws and regulations (i.e., laws and regulations that address privacy and data security). In the U.S., numerous federal and state laws and regulations, including federal health information privacy laws (e.g., the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”), as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”)), state data breach notification laws, state health information privacy laws and federal and state consumer protection laws (e.g., Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act), that govern the collection, use, disclosure and protection of health-related and other personal information could apply to our operations or the operations of our collaborators. In addition, we may obtain health information from third parties (including research institutions from which we obtain clinical trial data) that are subject to privacy and security requirements under HIPAA, as amended by HITECH, or other privacy and data security laws. Depending on the facts and circumstances, we could be subject to criminal penalties if we knowingly obtain, use, or disclose individually identifiable health information maintained by a HIPAA-covered entity in a manner that is not authorized or permitted by HIPAA.

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International data protection laws, including Regulation 2016/679, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) may also apply to health-related and other personal information obtained outside of the U.S. The GDPR went into effect on May 25, 2018. The GDPR introduced new data protection requirements in the EU, as well as potential fines for non-compliant companies of up to the greater of €20 million or 4% of annual global revenue. The regulation imposes numerous new requirements for the collection, use, storage and disclosure of personal information, including more stringent requirements relating to consent and the information that must be shared with data subjects about how their personal information is used, the obligation to notify regulators and affected individuals of personal data breaches, extensive new internal privacy governance obligations and obligations to honor expanded rights of individuals in relation to their personal information (e.g., the right to access, correct and delete their data). In addition, the GDPR includes restrictions on cross-border data transfers. The GDPR increased our responsibility and liability in relation to personal data that we process where such processing is subject to the GDPR, and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms to ensure compliance with the GDPR, including as implemented by individual countries. Further, the United Kingdom’s vote in favor of exiting the EU, often referred to as Brexit, has created uncertainty with regard to data protection regulation in the United Kingdom. In particular, it is unclear how data transfers to and from the United Kingdom will be regulated.

In addition, California recently enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which creates new individual privacy rights for California consumers (as defined in the law) and places increased privacy and security obligations on entities handling personal data of consumers or households. The CCPA will require covered companies to provide new disclosure to consumers about such companies’ data collection, use and sharing practices, provide such consumers new ways to opt-out of certain sales or transfers of personal information, and provide consumers with additional causes of action. The CCPA goes into effect on January 1, 2020, and the California Attorney General may bring enforcement actions for violations beginning July 1, 2020. The CCPA was amended on September 23, 2018, and it remains unclear what, if any, further modifications will be made to this legislation or how it will be interpreted. As currently written, the CCPA may impact our business activities and exemplifies the vulnerability of our business to the evolving regulatory environment related to personal data and protected health information.

Compliance with U.S. and international data protection laws and regulations could require us to take on more onerous obligations in our contracts, restrict our ability to collect, use and disclose data, or in some cases, impact our ability to operate in certain jurisdictions. Failure to comply with U.S. and international data protection laws and regulations could result in government enforcement actions (which could include civil or criminal penalties), private litigation or adverse publicity and could negatively affect our operating results and business.

If we, our CROs or our IT vendors experience security or data privacy breaches or other unauthorized or improper access to, use of, or destruction of personal data, we may face costs, significant liabilities, harm to our brand and business disruption.

In connection with our drug research and development efforts, we or our CROs may collect and use a variety of personal data, such as names, mailing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and clinical trial information. Although we have extensive measures in place to prevent the sharing and loss of patient data in our clinical trial processes associated with our developed technologies and drug candidates, any failure to prevent or mitigate security breaches or improper access to, use of, or disclosure of our clinical data or patients’ personal data could result in significant liability under state (e.g., state breach notification laws), federal (e.g., HIPAA, as amended by HITECH), and international laws (e.g., the GDPR). Any failure to prevent or mitigate security breaches or improper access to, use of, or disclosure of our clinical data or patients’ personal data may cause a material adverse impact to our reputation, affect our ability to conduct new studies and potentially disrupt our business. We may also rely on third-party IT vendors to host or otherwise process some of our data and that of users, and any failure by such IT vendor to prevent or mitigate security breaches or improper access to or disclosure of such information could have similarly adverse consequences for us. If we are unable to prevent or mitigate the impact of such security or data privacy breaches, we could be exposed to litigation and governmental investigations, which could lead to a potential disruption to our business.

If we do not comply with laws regulating the protection of the environment and health and human safety, our business could be adversely affected.

Our research and development and drug candidates and future commercial manufacturing may involve the use of hazardous materials and various chemicals. We currently do not maintain a research laboratory, but we engage third-party research organizations and manufacturers to conduct our preclinical studies, clinical trials and manufacturing. These third-party laboratories and manufacturers are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of these hazardous materials. We must rely on the third parties’ procedures for storing, handling and disposing of these materials in their facilities to comply with the relevant guidelines of the states in which they operate and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor. Although we believe that their safety procedures for handling and disposing of these materials comply with the standards mandated by applicable regulations, the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials cannot be eliminated. If an accident occurs, this could result in significant delays in our development. We are also subject to numerous environmental, health and workplace safety laws and regulations. Although we maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover us for costs and expenses we may incur due to injuries to our employees, this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. Additional federal, state and local laws and regulations affecting our operations may be adopted in the future. We may incur substantial costs to comply with, and substantial fines or penalties if we violate, any of these laws or regulations.

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Risks RelatedAssociated to Our Common Stock and Liquidity Risksthe Units

 

Our common stock is a “Penny Stock” subject to specific rules governing its sale to investors that could impact its liquidity.

 

The SEC has adopted Rule 15g-9 which establishes the definition of a “penny stock,” for the purposes relevant to our common stock, as any equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share or with an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the rules require that a broker or dealer approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks; and the broker or dealer receive from the investor a written agreement to the transaction, setting forth the identity and quantity of the penny stock to be purchased. While this is not currently our situation, the risk exists that our price per share could fall back below $5.00, and therefore our common stock could once again be a “Penny Stock.”

 

In order to approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks, the broker or dealer must obtain financial information and investment experience objectives of the person; and make a reasonable determination that the transactions in penny stocks are suitable for that person and the person has sufficient knowledge and experience in financial matters to be capable of evaluating the risks of transactions in penny stocks.

 

The broker or dealer must also deliver, prior to any transaction in a penny stock, a disclosure schedule prescribed by the SEC relating to the penny stock market, which, in highlight form sets forth the basis on which the broker or dealer made the suitability determination, and states that the broker or dealer received a signed, written agreement from the investor prior to the transaction.

 

Generally, brokers may be less willing to execute transactions in securities subject to the “penny stock” rules. This may make it more difficult for investors sell shares of our common stock.

 

Disclosure also has to be made about the risks of investing in penny stocks in both public offerings and in secondary trading and about the commissions payable to both the broker-dealer and the registered representative, current quotations for the securities and the rights and remedies available to an investor in cases of fraud in penny stock transactions. Finally, monthly statements have to be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stocks.

 

There is novery little recent trading activity in our common stock and there is no assurance that an active market will develop in the future.

 

Although our common stock is currently quoted on the The OTCBQOTCQB (an interdealer electronic quotation system operated by OTC Markets Group, Inc.) under the symbol “PTIX”, trading of our common stock may be extremely sporadic. For example, several days may pass before any shares may be traded. As a result, an investor may find it difficult to dispose of, or to obtain accurate quotations of the price of our common stock. There can be no assurance that a more active market for our common stock will develop, or if one should develop, there is no assurance that it will be sustained. This severely limits the liquidity of our common stock, and would likely have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock and on our ability to raise additional capital.

 

Our ability to list on Nasdaq will require raising significant capital; failure to qualify to trade on Nasdaq will make it more difficult to raise capital.

We have applied to list our common stock and warrants on The Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”), a national securities exchange. If we are listed on Nasdaq, we will need to raise significant additional funding in the coming months to start our clinical trial programs. We believe that if our common stock and warrants are trading on Nasdaq’s Capital Market it will enable better access to capital. Nasdaq has listing requirements for inclusion of securities for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market, including stockholders equity of $4 million (market value standard) or $5 million (equity standard), market value of publicly held shares of $15 million, an operating history of 2 years under the equity standard or a market value of listed securities of $50 million under the market value standard, 1 million publicly held shares, 300 shareholders, three market makers and a $4 bid price or a closing price of $3 (equity standard) or $2 (market value standard). If we are unable to maintain our listing on Nasdaq, it could make it harder for us to raise capital in both the immediate time frame and in the long-term. If we are unable to raise capital when needed in the future, we may have to cease or reduce operations. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in including our common stock for trading on Nasdaq, maintain the listing or that a market will develop for our common stock.

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Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of The Nasdaq Capital Market could result in a de-listing of our common stock and warrants.

If after qualifying for initial listing on Nasdaq, we fail to satisfy the continued listing requirements of The Nasdaq Capital Market, such as the corporate governance requirements or the minimum closing bid price requirement, the Nasdaq Stock Market may take steps to de-list our common stock and/or warrants. Such a de-listing or the announcement of such de-listing will have a negative effect on the price of our common stock and warrants and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our common stock or warrants when you wish to do so. In the event of a de-listing, we would take actions to restore our compliance with the Nasdaq listing requirements, but we can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our common stock to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our common stock, prevent our common stock from dropping below the Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement or prevent future non-compliance with the Nasdaq listing requirements.

The market price of our common stock and warrants may be volatile, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

The market price of our common stock and warrants is likely to be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control.

 

The market price of our common stock and warrants may fluctuate substantially and will depend on a number of factors many of which are beyond our control and may not be related to our operating performance. These fluctuations could cause you to lose all or part of your investment in our common stock and warrants since you might be unable to sell your shares at or above the price you pay for the shares. Factors that could cause fluctuations in the market price of our common stock and warrants include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

 

price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market from time to time;
volatility in the market prices and trading volumes of pharmaceutical and biotechnology stocks;
changes in operating performance and stock market valuations of other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies generally, or those in our industry in particular;
sales of shares of our common stock by us or our stockholders;

the timing of IDE and/or NDA approval, the completion and/or results of our clinical trials;

regulatory actions regarding our products;

announcements by us or our competitors of new products or services;
the public’s reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and filings with the SEC;
rumors and market speculation involving us or other companies in our industry;
actual or anticipated changes in our operating results or fluctuations in our operating results;
actual or anticipated developments in our business, our competitors’ businesses or the competitive landscape generally;
litigation involving us, our industry or both, or investigations by regulators into our operations or those of our competitors;
developments or disputes concerning our intellectual property or other proprietary rights;

price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market from time to time;

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volatility in the market prices and trading volumes of pharmaceutical and biotechnology stocks;

changes in operating performance and stock market valuations of other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies generally, or those in our industry in particular;

sales of shares of our common stock by us or our stockholders;

failure of securities analysts to maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by securities analysts who follow our company, or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;

the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in those projections or our failure to meet those projections;

announcements by us or our competitors of new products or services;

the public’s reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and filings with the SEC;

rumors and market speculation involving us or other companies in our industry;

actual or anticipated changes in our operating results or fluctuations in our operating results;

actual or anticipated developments in our business, our competitors’ businesses or the competitive landscape generally;

litigation involving us, our industry or both, or investigations by regulators into our operations or those of our competitors;

developments or disputes concerning our intellectual property or other proprietary rights;

announced or completed acquisitions of businesses or technologies by us or our competitors;

new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business;

changes in accounting standards, policies, guidelines, interpretations or principles;

any significant change in our management; and

general economic conditions and slow or negative growth of our markets.

announced or completed acquisitions of businesses or technologies by us or our competitors;
new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business;
changes in accounting standards, policies, guidelines, interpretations or principles;
any significant change in our management; and
general economic conditions and slow or negative growth of our markets.

 

In addition, in the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a particular company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies. This litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources.

 

Because we became public by means of a reverse business combination (merger) we may not be able to attract the attention of brokerage firms.

Additional risks may exist since we became public through a “reverse business combination (merger).” Securities analysts of brokerage firms may not provide coverage of us since there is little incentive to brokerage firms to recommend the purchase of our common stock. No assurance can be given that brokerage firms will want to conduct any secondary offerings on our behalf in the future.

FINRA sales practice requirements may also limit your ability to buy and sell our common stock, which could depress the price of our shares.

FINRA rules require broker-dealers to have reasonable grounds for believing that an investment is suitable for a customer before recommending that investment to the customer. Prior to recommending speculative low-priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status and investment objectives, among other things. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA believes that there is a high probability such speculative low-priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. Thus, FINRA requirements make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our common stock, which may limit your ability to buy and sell our shares once publicly traded, have an adverse effect on the market for our shares, and thereby depress our share price.

Compliance with the reporting requirements of federal securities laws can be expensive.

 

We are a public reporting company in the United States, and accordingly, subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and other federal securities laws, and certain compliance obligations of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The costs of preparing and filing annual and quarterly reports and other information with the SEC and furnishing audited reports to stockholders are substantial.

 

Applicable regulatory requirements, including those contained in and issued under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, may make it difficult for us to retain or attract qualified officers and directors, which could adversely affect the management of its business and its ability to obtain or retain listing of our common stock.stock and/or warrants.

 

We may be unable to attract and retain those qualified officers, directors and members of board committees required to provide for effective management because of the rules and regulations that govern publicly held companies, including, but not limited to, certifications by principal executive officers. The enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act has resulted in the issuance of a series of related rules and regulations and the strengthening of existing rules and regulations by the SEC, as well as the adoption of new and more stringent rules by the stock exchanges. The perceived increased personal risk associated with these changes may deter qualified individuals from accepting roles as directors and executive officers.

 

Further, some of these changes heighten the requirements for board or committee membership, particularly with respect to an individual’s independence from the corporation and level of experience in finance and accounting matters. We may have difficulty attracting and retaining directors with the requisite qualifications. If we are unable to attract and retain qualified officers and directors, the management of our business and our ability to obtain or retain listing of our shares of common stock on any stock exchange (assuming we elect to seek and are successful in obtaining such listing) could be adversely affected.

 

We may have undisclosed liabilities and any such liabilities could harm our revenues, business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Even though our pre-merger assets and liabilities were transferred in the split-off of MomSpot LLC (of which we owned a 51% interest) and 29 wholly-owned subsidiaries, we may be liable for any or all of such liabilities. Any such liabilities that survived the Merger could harm our revenues, business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations upon our acceptance of responsibility for such liabilities.

 

The transfer of our membership interests in MomSpot LLC and 29 of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, as well as associated assets and liabilities, will result in taxable income to us in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the assets transferred and the pre-merger tax basis of the assets. Any gain recognized, to the extent not offset by our net operating loss carryforward, if any, will be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate income tax rates.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or detect fraud. Consequently, investors could lose confidence in our financial reporting and this may decrease the trading price of our stock.common stock and warrants.

 

We must maintain effective internal controls to provide reliable financial reports and detect fraud. We have been assessing our internal controls to identify areas that need improvement. We are in the process of implementing changesimprovement and will continue to monitor internal controls but have not yet completed implementing these changes.to improve them. Failure to implement these changes to our internal controls or any others that it identifies as necessary to maintain an effective system of internal controls could harm our operating results and cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. Any such loss of confidence would have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock.

 

Management has concluded that, during the year-ended December 31, 2020, our internal controls and procedures were not effective to detect the inappropriate application of U.S. GAAP. Management identified the following material weaknesses set forth below in our internal control over financial reporting.

1.We lack the necessary corporate accounting resources to maintain adequate segregation of duties; and

2.We did not perform an effective risk assessment or monitor internal controls over financial reporting.

Our common stock is controlled by insiders

Our officers and directors beneficially own approximately 26% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Such concentrated control of our common stock may adversely affect the price of our common stock. Investors who acquire our common stock may have no effective voice in the management of our operations. Sales by our insiders or affiliates, along with any other market transactions, could affect the market price of our common stock.

We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future and may never pay dividends.

We have paid no dividends on our common stock to date and it is not anticipated that any dividends will be paid to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. While our future dividend policy will be based on the operating results and capital needs of our business, it is currently anticipated that any earnings will be retained to finance our future expansion and for the implementation of our business plan. As an investor, you should take note of the fact that a lack of a dividend can further affect the market value of our stock, and could significantly affect the value of any investment.

While the warrants are outstanding, it may be more difficult to raise additional equity capital.

During the term that the warrants are outstanding, the holders of such warrants will be given the opportunity to profit from a rise in the market price of our common stock. We may find it more difficult to raise additional equity capital while the warrants are outstanding.

The redemption of the warrants issued in this offering may require potential investors to sell or exercise the warrants at a time that may be disadvantageous for them.

Beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus, the warrants will be redeemable at our option, in whole or in part, at a redemption price equal to $0.025per warrant upon 30 days’ prior written notice, at any time after the date on which the closing price of our common stock has equaled or exceeded $7.26 per share (175% of the public offering price of the units) for at least five consecutive trading days. In the event we exercise our right to redeem the warrants, those warrants will be exercisable until the close of business on the date fixed for redemption in such notice. If any warrant called for redemption is not exercised by such time, it will cease to be exercisable, and the holder thereof will be entitled only to the redemption price of $0.025 per warrant. Notice of redemption of the warrants could force holders to exercise the warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may become volatile,be disadvantageous for them to do so or to sell the warrants at the current market price when they might otherwise wish to hold the warrants or accept the redemption price, which could leadis likely to losses by investors and costly securities litigation.be substantially less than the market value of the warrants at the time of redemption.

 

Holders of our warrants will have no rights as a common stockholder until they exercise their warrants and acquire our common stock.

Until the holders of warrants acquire shares of our common stock upon exercise of their warrants, they will have no rights with respect to shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. Upon exercise of the warrants, warrant holders will be entitled to exercise the rights of a common stockholder only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise date.

The warrants may not have any value.

Each warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $4.98 per share. The warrants will be exercisable at any time from the date of issuance through the fifth anniversary of the date of this prospectus, unless earlier redeemed. In the event the trading price of our common stock is likely to be highly volatile and could fluctuate in response to factors such as:

actual or anticipated variations in our operating results;

announcements of developments by us or our competitors;

does not exceed the timing of IDE and/or NDA approval, the completion and/or results of our clinical trials

regulatory actions regarding our products

announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;

adoption of new accounting standards affecting our industry;

additions or departures of key personnel;

introduction of new products by us or our competitors;

sales of our common stock or other securities in the open market; and

other events or factors, many of which are beyond our control.

The stock market is subject to significant price and volume fluctuations. In the past, following periods of volatility in the marketexercise price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been initiated against such a company. Litigation initiated against us, whether orthe warrants during the period within which the warrants are exercisable, the warrants may not successful, could result in substantial costs and diversion of our management’s attention and resources, which could harm our business and financial condition.have any value.

 

Risks Related to this Offering

Investors in this Offering will suffer immediate and substantial dilution of their investment.

If you purchase our Units in this Offering, you will pay more for your shares of common stock than our as adjusted net tangible book value per share. We currently estimate that the per unit public offering price will be between $4.13 and $4.17. We have assumed a per-unit public offering price of $4.15, which is the midpoint of the estimated public offering price range. Based upon an assumed public offering price of $4.15 per unit, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution of approximately $3.50 per share, representing the difference between our assumed public offering price and our as adjusted net tangible book value per share.

31

Investors may experience dilution of their ownership interests because of the future issuance of additional shares of our common stock.stock and/or warrants.

 

In the future, we may issue additional authorized but previously unissued equity securities, resulting in the dilution of the ownership interests of our present stockholders. We may also issue additional shares of our common stock or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for our common stock in connection with hiring or retaining employees, future acquisitions, future sales of our securities for capital raising purposes, or for other business purposes and some of these issuances may be at a price (or exercise prices) below the price at which shares of our common stock is currently quoted on the OTCQB. The future issuance of any such additional shares of common stock may create downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock.

 

OurSubstantial amounts of our outstanding shares may be sold into the market when lock-up or market standoff periods end. If there are substantial sales of shares of our common stock, is controlled by insidersthe price of our common stock could decline.

 

OurThe price of our common stock could decline if there are substantial sales of our common stock, particularly sales by our directors, executive officers and directors beneficially own approximately 30%significant stockholders, or if there is a large number of shares of our common stock available for sale and the market perceives that sales will occur. After this offering, we will have 13,250,603 outstanding shares of our common stock, based on the number of shares outstanding as of April 15, 2021. All of the shares of common stock sold in this offering will be available for sale in the public market. A super- majority of our outstanding shares of common stock are currently restricted from resale as a result of market standoff and “lock-up” agreements, as more fully described in “Shares Eligible for Future Sale.” These shares will become available to be sold 180 days after giving effectthe date of this prospectus. Shares held by directors, executive officers and other affiliates will be subject to volume limitations under Rule 144 under the Reverse Split. Such concentrated controlSecurities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), and various vesting agreements.

After this offering, certain of our stockholders will have rights, subject to some conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or our stockholders, subject to market standoff and lock-up agreements. We also intend to register shares of common stock that we have issued and may issue under our employee equity incentive plans. Once we register these shares, they will be able to be sold freely in the public market upon issuance, subject to existing market standoff or lock-up agreements or internal practices which prohibit sales under certain circumstances. The market price of the shares of our common stock may adversely affectcould decline as a result of the pricesale of a substantial number of our common stock. Investors who acquire ourshares of common stock may have no effective voice in the management of our operations. Sales by our insiderspublic market or affiliates, along with any other market transactions, could affectthe perception in the market pricethat the holders of our common stock.a large number of shares intend to sell their shares.

 

We dohave broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering, and our use of those proceeds may not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future and may never pay dividends.yield a favorable return on your investment.

 

We plan to use the net proceeds of this offering to fund enrolling up to 42 patients in a “basket” style Phase I/II clinical trial, to make certain key hires that will bolster our ability to meet our strategic and operational goals and for other preclinical and clinical development-related expenses. We intend to use the remaining net proceeds from the sale of the shares in the offering, along with available cash, for general corporate purposes, which may include advancing our other pipeline programs, acquiring or licensing additional compounds for our drug development pipeline, maintaining existing and prosecuting new intellectual property protection, supporting the requirements of being a public company, including legal, audit, investor relations and board fees and providing competitive salaries and benefits to attract and retain highly qualified employees. We have paidnot specifically allocated the amount of net proceeds that will be used for these purposes, and our management will have broad discretion over how these proceeds are used and could spend the proceeds in ways with which you may not agree. In addition, we may not use the proceeds of this offering effectively or in a manner that increases our m our market value or enhances our profitability. We have not established a timetable for the effective deployment of the proceeds, and we cannot predict how long it will take to deploy the proceeds.

32

There can be no dividends onassurance that we will ever provide liquidity to our common stock to date and it isinvestors through a sale of our Company.

While acquisitions of pharmaceutical companies like ours are not anticipateduncommon, potential investors are cautioned that no assurances can be given that any dividendsform of merger, combination, or sale of our Company will take place or that any merger, combination, or sale, even if consummated, would provide liquidity or a profit for our investors. You should not invest in our Company with the expectation that we will be paidable to holders ofsell the business in order to provide liquidity or a profit for our common stock in the foreseeable future. While our future dividend policy will be based on the operating results and capital needs of our business, it is currently anticipated that any earnings will be retained to finance our future expansion and for the implementation of our business plan. As an investor, you should take note of the fact that a lack of a dividend can further affect the market value of our stock, and could significantly affect the value of any investment.investors.

 

Our certificate of incorporation allows for our board to create new series of preferred stock without further approval by our stockholders, which could adversely affect the rights of the holders of our common stock.

 

Our board of directors has the authority to issue shares of our preferred stock, with such relative rights and preferences as the board of directors may determine, 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 special and unique rights, including without limitation, a preferred right to our assets upon liquidation, a right to receive dividend payments before dividends are distributed to the holders of common stock and the right to convert into our common stock at a price more favorable then the price at which you acquired our common stock. The issuance of any preferred stock could decrease the value of your common stock and relative voting power of our common stock or result in dilution to our existing stockholders.

 

In addition, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, which may, unless certain criteria are met, prohibit large stockholders, in particular those owning 15% or more of the voting rights on our common stock, from engaging in certain business combinations with us for a prescribed period of time.

 

33

USEOF PROCEEDS

 

We will notexpect to receive any of thenet proceeds from the sale of our Units of approximately $9,567,700 or approximately $11,085,355 if the common stock byunderwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full (We currently estimate that the selling stockholders named in this prospectus. All proceeds fromper unit public offering price will be between $4.13 and $4.17. We have assumed a per-unit public offering price of $4.15, which is the salemidpoint of the common stock will be paid directly toestimated public offering price range.), after deducting the selling stockholders.

We would, however, receiveunderwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. This estimate excludes the proceeds, upon the exercise of the warrants held by the selling stockholders which, if such warrants are exercised in full (and assuming no “cashless” exercise features are utilized), would be $471,683. Proceeds, if any, received from the exercise of suchwarrants in this offering. If all of the warrants sold in this offering were to be exercised in cash at an assumed exercise price of $4.98 per share, we would receive additional proceeds of approximately $13.2 million. We cannot predict when or if these warrants will be usedexercised. It is possible that these warrants may expire and may never be exercised. Each $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed public offering price of $4.15 per unit, would increase (decrease) our net proceeds, assuming that the number of Units offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses, by approximately $2.44 million.

We plan to use the net proceeds of this offering to fund enrolling up to 42 patients in a “basket” style Phase I/II clinical trial, to make certain key hires that will bolster our ability to meet our strategic and operational goals, for working capitalother preclinical and clinical development-related expenses, and for general corporate purposes. No assurances can be given that any of such warrants will be exercised.

 

DETERMINATIONOF OFFERING PRICE

Selling Stockholders may sell sharesOur expected use of common stock in the over-the-counter market or otherwise, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market price, or at negotiated prices. We will not receive anynet proceeds from the same of shares by Selling Stockholders.

SELLINGSTOCKHOLDERS

The following table sets forth information asthis offering represents our current intentions based upon our present plans and business condition. As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot predict with complete certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to our knowledge, aboutbe received upon the beneficial ownershipcompletion of our common stock bythis offering or the selling stockholders andactual amounts that we will spend on the shares of our common stock offered by them in this prospectus.uses set forth above.

 

The selling stockholders receivedamounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the securities being offered under this prospectusprogress of our product development team, the scale achieved by our sales and marketing team, as well as the amount of cash used in our operations. We therefore cannot estimate with certainty the 2016 Private Placement prioramount of net proceeds to the initial filing date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We believe that the selling stockholders have sole voting and investment power with respect to all of the shares of common stock beneficially owned by them unless otherwise indicated.

One of the selling stockholders, who is identified as a broker-dealer in the footnotes to the selling stockholder table, through whom such securities are sold is deemed an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with respect to the securities offered hereby, and any profits realized or commissions received may be deemed underwriting compensation. We believe that all securities purchased by broker-dealers or affiliates of broker-dealers were purchased by such persons and entities in the ordinary course of business and at the time of purchase, such purchasers did not have any agreements or understandings, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute such securities.

The percent of beneficial ownershipused for the selling stockholders is based on 10,261,419 shares of common stock outstanding and 872,766 shares of Series B Preferred Stock outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. Warrants to purchase shares of our common stock held by certain investors that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus are considered outstanding and beneficially owned by such investors for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of their respective percentage ownership but are not treated as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other stockholder. Unless otherwise stated below, to our knowledge, none of the selling stockholders has had a material relationship with us other than as a stockholder at any time within the past three years or has ever been one of our officers or directors.

Pursuant to Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 of the Exchange Act, beneficial ownership includes any shares of our common stock as to which a stockholder has sole or shared voting power or investment power, and also any shares of our common stock which the stockholder has the right to acquire within 60 days, including upon exercise of warrants or options to purchase shares of our common stock.

The shares of common stock being offered pursuant to this prospectus may be offered for sale from time to time during the period the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part remains effective, by or for the account of the selling stockholders. After the date of effectiveness, the selling stockholders may have sold or transferred, in transactions covered by this prospectus or in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, some or all of their common stock.

Information about the selling stockholders may change over time. Any changed information will be set forth in an amendment to the registration statement or supplement to this prospectus, to the extent required by law. 

 

 

Shares Beneficially Owned as

of the date of this Prospectus

Shares

Offered by

Shares Beneficially

Owned After the Offering

 

Name of Selling

Stockholder

Number

Percent

this

Prospectus

Number

Percent

 

Agbaje, Kola(1)

29,419(2)

*

29,419

-

*

 

Armen, Garo

3,966,047(3)

34%

280,000

3,686,047

32%

 

Armitage, Barclay

8,000

*

8,000

-

*

 

Arrow, Alexander, K.

203,820(4)

2%

58,260

145,560

1%

 

Baley, Lori R.

10,000

*

10,000

-

*

 

Caswell, Robert

56,000

1%

56,000

-

*

 

Collado, Michael

40,000

*

40,000

-

*

 

Dasa Sada LLC(5)

80,000

1%

80,000

-

*

 

EFD Capital Inc.(6)

4,809(7)

*

4,809

-

*

 

Ernest W. Moody Revocable Trust(8)

200,000

2%

200,000

-

*

 

Frankel, Robert D.

10,000

*

10,000

-

*

 

Gentile, Albert & Hiedi

20,000

*

20,000

-

*

 

Gibralt Capital Corporation(9)

100,000

1%

100,000

-

*

 

Granito, Robert

20,000

*

20,000

-

*

 

Hailey, Charles

160,000

2%

160,000

-

*

 

Halajian, Vahe

50,000

*

50,000

-

*

 

Halling, Thomas

32,400(10)

*

32,400

-

*

 

Hickey, Denis J.

200,000

2%

120,000

80,000

1%

 

Hickey, Denis P.

40,000

*

40,000

-

*

 

Janssen, Morgan(11)

2,400(12)

*

2,400

-

*

 

Janssen, Peter K.(13)

21,700(14)

*

21,700

-

*

 

Kadi Family Trust(15)

40,000

*

40,000

-

*

 

COR Clearing Cust. FBO Darnell Leffel IRA #19124808(16)

61,600

1%

61,600

-

*

 

LMB Tech Investments LLC(17)

40,000

*

40,000

-

*

 

Mandia, Brandt(18)

290,000(19) 

3%

290,000

-

*

 

COR Clearing Cust. FBO Jennifer Mandia IRA #7441-1949(20)

10,000

*

10,000

-

*

 

McColl, Kevin

72,000

1%

72,000

-

*

 

Oxendine, Foncie B. & Beatrice

20,000

*

20,000

-

*

 

Pappas, Gregory

40,000

*

40,000

-

*

 

Pashayan, Richard

300,000(21)

3%

50,000

250,000

2%

 

Payne, Richard E. and Christine

120,000

1%

120,000

-

*

 

Perri, Joseph

80,000

1%

80,000

-

*

 

Pflederer, Mark

25,200

*

25,200

-

*

 

Prieur, C. James & Karen Ann

40,000

*

40,000

-

*

 

Renaud, Stephen(22)

19,800(23)

*

19,800

-

*

 

Rogers, Dyke

40,000

*

40,000

-

*

 

Rosenthal, Robin

40,000

*

40,000

-

*

 

Sanzo, Louis

300,000(24)

3%

75,000

225,000

2%

 

Silverman, Michael(25)

29,800(26)

*

10,000

-

*

 

Strategic Bio Partners, LLC(27)

1,024,702(28) 

9.99%

1,600,000(29)

593,413

6%

 

Struve, Clayton A.

20,000

*

20,000

-

*

 

Tom, Lillian

40,000

*

40,000

-

*

 

Toner, Martin & Claudia

20,000

*

20,000

-

*

 

Ungaro, Peter & Rita(30)

80,000

1%

80,000

-

*

 

Vaccaro, Daniel

60,000(31)

1%

60,000

-

*

 

Vaccaro, Neil

80,000

1%

80,000

-

*

 

Venditti, Anthony

50,000

*

50,000

-

*

 

Wagner, John V. Jr.

20,000

*

20,000

-

*

 

WestPark Capital, Inc.(32)

29,418(33)

*

29,418

-

*

 

Whited, Craig

30,000

*

30,000

-

*

 

Wong, Gordon

20,000

*

20,000

-

*

 

TOTAL

8,297,115

  

4,485,806

3,811,309

  


* Less than 1%

(1) Kola Abgaje is an affiliate of a FINRA member broker-dealer.

(2) Consists of a warrant to purchase 29,419 shares of common stock.

(3) Includes 2,546,012 shares of common stock (250,000 shares of which are held by Garo H. Armen IRA), a warrant to purchase 300,000 shares of common stock, a warrant to purchase 953,367 shares of common stock, and options to purchase 166,668 shares of common stock. Does not include options to purchase 333,332 shares, which vest in monthly installments from March 15, 2017 through April 15, 2019.

(4) Includes 118,260 shares of common stock (18,260 shares of which are held by COR Clearing Cust. FBO Alexander Arrow IRA #2727-2468), and options to purchase 85,560 shares of common stock. Does not include options to purchase 61,108 shares of common stock, which vest in monthly installments from March 12, 2017 through February 12, 2019, and options to purchase 93,332 shares of common stock, which vest in monthly installments from March 15, 2017 through April 15, 2019. Alexander K. Arrow, as beneficiary, has voting and dispositive power over the shares held by COR Clearing Cust. FBO Alexander Arrow IRA #2727-2468.

(5) Donald Motschwiller is a natural person with voting and dispositive power over the shares held by Dasa Sada LLC.

(6) Barbara J. Glenns is a natural person with voting and dispositive power over the shares held by EFD Capital Inc.

(7) Consists of a warrant to purchase 4,809 shares of common stock.

(8) Ernest W. Moody is a trustee with voting and dispositive power over the shares held by Ernest W. Moody Revocable Trust.

(9) Samuel Belzberg is a natural person with voting and dispositive power over the shares held by Gibralt Capital Corporation.

(10) Consists of 22,000 shares of common stock held by Thomas Halling and 10,400 shares of common stock held by Thomas A. Halling Trust. Thomas Halling is a trustee with voting and dispositive power over the shares held by Thomas A. Halling Trust.

(11) Morgan Janssen is an affiliate of a FINRA member broker-dealer.

(12) Consists of a warrant to purchase 2,400 shares of common stock.

(13) Peter K. Janssen is an affiliate of a FINRA member broker-dealer.

(14) Consists of a warrant to purchase 21,700 shares of common stock.

(15) These shares are beneficially owned by William Kadi and Sandra Kadi. William Kadi is a trustee with voting and dispositive power over the shares held by Kadi Family Trust.

(16) Darnell Leffel, as beneficiary, has voting and dispositive power over the shares held by COR Clearing Cust. FBO Darnell Leffel IRA #19124808

(17) John A. Saraceno and Jonathan B. Schultz are natural persons with voting and dispositive power over the shares held by LMB Tech Investments LLC.

(18) Brandt Mandia is an affiliate of a FINRA member broker-dealer.

(19) Includes 40,000 shares of common stock (20,000 shares of which are held by COR Clearing Cust. FBO Brandt Mandia IRA #4834-7331) and a warrant to purchase 250,000 shares of common stock. Brandt Mandia, as beneficiary, has voting and dispositive power over the shares held by COR Clearing Cust. FBO Brandt Mandia IRA #4834-7331.

(20) Jennifer Mandia, as beneficiary, has voting and dispositive power over the shares held by COR Clearing Cust. FBO Jennifer Mandia IRA #7441-1949.

(21) Includes 150,000 shares of common stock and a warrant to purchase 150,000 shares of common stock.

(22) Stephen Renaud is an affiliate of a FINRA member broker-dealer.

(23)Consists of a warrant to purchase 19,800 shares of common stock.

(24) Includes 150,000 shares of common stock and a warrant to purchase 150,000 shares of common stock.

(25) Michael Silverman is an affiliate of a FINRA member broker-dealer.

(26) Includes 10,000 shares of common stock and a warrant to purchase 19,800 shares of common stock.

(27) Hudson Bay Master Fund Ltd. (the "Managing Member") is the managing member of Strategic Bio Partners, LLC ("SBP"). Pursuant to SBP's Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement, the Managing Member has delegated to Hudson Bay Capital Management LP ("HBC") full and sole investment discretion and voting control of SBP's portfolio securities. Sander Gerber is the managing member of Hudson Bay Capital GP LLC, which is the general partner of HBC. Each of SBP, the Managing Member and Sander Gerber disclaims beneficial ownership over these securities.

As of June 30, 2015, 4,600,000,000 shares of Atrinsic’s Series A Preferred Stock were issued to Atrinsic’s secured creditors, Iroquois Master Fund Ltd. (“Iroquois”) and Hudson Bay Master Fund Ltd. (“Hudson”) in exchange for convertible notes that were previously issued to Iroquois and Hudson in May 2011. In February 2016, pursuant to that certain Preferred Stock Exchange Agreement between Atrinsic, Iroquois and Hudson (attached as Exhibit 10.11 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016), each of Hudson and Iroquois exchanged their shares of Series A Preferred Stock of Atrinsic for the same number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock of the Company, and directed that such shares be recorded in the name of Strategic Bio Partners, LLC (“SBP”), the designee of Iroquois and Hudson. Moreover, during the Company’s first closing of the Private Offering of its Series B Preferred Stock, conducted concurrently with the closing of the Merger in February 2016, SBP acquired 1,600,000 shares of Company Series B Preferred Stock for gross consideration of $2,000,000. Lastly, SBP was issued warrants (“Predecessor Warrants”) to purchase 295,945 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at $1.25 per share in consideration of the cancellation of debt $665,000 in principal and $35,000 in interest.

(28)SBP also holds shares of Series B Preferred Stock convertible into common stock and Predecessor Warrants to purchase common stock. However, the Series B Preferred and the Predecessor Warrants are subject to a "Beneficial Ownership Cap" limitation pursuant to which the holder thereof does not have the right to convert Series B Preferred Stock or exercise the Predecessor Warrants to the extent that such exercise would result in beneficial ownership by the holder thereof, or any of its affiliates and any other persons or entities whose beneficial ownership of common stock would be aggregated with the holder's for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, of more than 9.99% of the total number of shares of common stock issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion or exercise. Disregarding the Beneficial Ownership Cap, SBP would own 2,193,413 shares of common stock, including the shares underlying Series B Preferred Stock and Predecessor Warrants.

(29) Includes (i) 727,234 shares of common stock held by SBP and (ii) 872,766 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of Series B Preferred Stock held by SBP for which it disclaims beneficial ownership due to the “Beneficial Ownership Cap” described in footnote 28 above.

(30) Peter and Rita Ungaro are affiliates of a FINRA member broker-dealer.

(31) Includes 40,000 shares of common stock held by Daniel Vaccaro and 20,000 shares of common stock held by COR Clearing Cust. FBO Daniel Vaccaro Roth IRA #3358-8137. Daniel Vaccaro, as beneficiary, has voting and dispositive power over the shares held by COR Clearing Cust. FBO Daniel Vaccaro Roth IRA #3358-8137.

(32) Richard A. Rappaport is a natural person with voting and dispositive power over the shares held by WestPark Capital, Inc. WestPark Capital, Inc. is a FINRA member broker-dealer.

(33) Consists of a warrant to purchase 29,419 shares of common stock.

PLANOF DISTRIBUTION

This prospectus relates to the resale of up to 4,485,806 shares of our common stock by the Selling Shareholder.

The Selling Stockholders and their pledgees, assignees and successors-in-interest may, from time to time, sell any or all of their Shares covered hereby on any other stock exchange, market or trading facility on which the Shares are traded or in private transactions. These sales may be at then prevailing market prices or negotiated prices. The Selling Stockholder may use any one or more of the following methods when selling Shares:

ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker dealer solicits purchasers;

block trades in which the broker dealer will attempt to sell the Shares as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;

purchases by a broker dealer as principal and resale by the broker dealer for its account;

an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange;

privately negotiated transactions;

settlement of short sales entered into after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part;

in transactions through broker dealers that agree with the Selling Stockholders to sell a specified number of such Shares at a stipulated price per security;

through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions, whether though an options exchange or otherwise;

a combination of any such methods of sale; or

any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law.

The Selling Stockholder may also sell Shares under Rule 144 under the Securities Act, if available, rather than under this prospectus.

Broker dealers engaged by the Selling Stockholder may arrange for other brokers dealers to participate in sales. Broker dealers may receive commissions or discounts from the Selling Stockholder (or, if any broker dealer acts as agent for the purchaser of Shares, from the purchaser) in amounts to be negotiated, but, except as set forth in a supplement to this prospectus, in the case of an agency transaction not in excess of a customary brokerage commission in compliance with FINRA Rule 2440; and in the case of a principal transaction, a markup or markdown in compliance with FINRA IM-2440.

In connection with the sale of the Shares or interests therein, the Selling Stockholder may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which may in turn engage in short sales of the Shares in the course of hedging the positions they assume. The Selling Stockholders may also enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or create one or more derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of Shares offered by this prospectus, which Shares such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction).

In offering the shares covered by this prospectus, the Selling Stockholders, and any broker-dealers and any other participating broker-dealers who execute sales for the Selling Stockholders, may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act in connection with these sales. Any profits realized by the Selling Stockholders and the compensation of such broker-dealers may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions..

The Selling Stockholder may from time to time pledge or grant a security interest in some or all of the Shares owned by them and, if they default in the performance of their secured obligations, the pledgees or secured parties may offer and sell the Shares from time to time under this prospectus after we have filed an amendment to this prospectus under Rule 424(b)(3) or other applicable provision of the Securities Act amending the list of selling stockholders to include the pledgee, transferee or other successors in interest as Selling Stockholders under this prospectus.

The Selling Stockholder may also transfer the Shares in other circumstances, in which case the transferees, pledgees or other successors in interest will be the selling beneficial owners for purposes of this prospectus and may sell the shares from time to time under this prospectus after we have filed an amendment to this prospectus under Rule 424(b)(3) or other applicable provision of the Securities Act amending the list of selling stockholders to include the pledgee, transferee or other successors in interest as Selling Stockholders under this prospectus.

We will pay certain fees and expenses incurred by us incident to the registration of the Shares.

We intend to keep this prospectus effective until the earlier of (i) the date on which the Shares may be resold by the Selling Stockholder without registration and without regard to any volume or manner-of-sale limitations by reason of Rule 144, without the requirement for us to be in compliance with the current public information under Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other rule of similar effect or (ii) such time as all of the Shares have been sold pursuant to this prospectus or Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other rule of similar effect. The resale Shares will be sold only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers if required under applicable state securities laws. In addition, in certain states, the resale Shares covered hereby may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.

Under applicable rules and regulations under the Exchange Act, any person engaged in the distribution of the resale Shares may not simultaneously engage in market making activities with respect to the Common Stock for the applicable restricted period, as defined in Regulation M, prior to the commencement of the distribution. In addition, the Selling Stockholders will be subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, including Regulation M, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of our securities by the Selling Stockholders or any other person. We will make copies of this prospectus available to the Selling Stockholders and have informed them of the need to deliver a copy of this prospectus to each purchaser at or prior to the time of the sale (including by compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act).

MARKETFOR COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Market Information

Our common stock is currently available for trading in the over-the-counter market and is quoted on the OTCQB under the symbol “PTIX.” There has been very limited market for our common stock and trading volume has been negligible. There is no guarantee that an active trading market will develop in our common stock.

Trades in our common stock may be subject to Rule 15g-9 of the Exchange Act, which imposes requirements on broker/dealers who sell securities subject to the rule to persons other than established customers and accredited investors. For transactions covered by the rule, broker/dealers must make a special suitability determination for purchasers of the securities and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction before the sale.

The SEC also has rules that regulate broker/dealer practices in connection with transactions in “penny stocks.” Penny stocks generally are equity securities with a price of less than $5.00 (other than securities listed on certain national exchanges, provided that the current price and volume information with respect to transactions in that security is provided by the applicable exchange or system). The penny stock rules require a broker/dealer, before effecting a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document prepared by the SEC that provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The broker/dealer also must provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker/dealer and its salesperson in the transaction, and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. The bid and offer quotations, and the broker/dealer and salesperson compensation information, must be given to the customer orally or in writing before effecting the transaction, and must be given to the customer in writing before or with the customer’s confirmation. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market for shares of our common stock. As a result of these rules, investors may find it difficultnecessary or advisable to sell their shares.use the net proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds.

 

Our common stock was quoted on the OTC Pink under the symbol “ATRN” prior to July 27, 2016 and then under the symbol “PTIX” between July 27, 2016 and October 16, 2016.  Commencing on October 17, 2016, our common stock is listed in the OTCQB under the symbol “PTIX”. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated and as reported on the OTC Markets, the high and low bid prices for our common stock. Such quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, markdown or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

  

High

  

Low

 
2014 (1)        

First Quarter

 $*   * 

Second Quarter

  *   * 

Third Quarter

  *   * 

Fourth Quarter

  *   * 
         
2015 (1)        

First Quarter

  *   * 

Second Quarter

  *   * 

Third Quarter

  *   * 

Fourth Quarter

  *   * 
         

2016(1)

        

First Quarter(1)

  *   * 

Second Quarter(1)

  *   * 

Third Quarter(2)

 

250.00

  1.66 
Fourth Quarter(3) 128.00  128.00 
34

 

* Less than $0.01 per share

(1) The prices for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2014 and 2015 are actual sale prices because the bid price information was not available.

(2) The high and low bid prices for this quarter were reported by the OTC Pink marketplace. There was negligible trading volume during this period.

(3) The high and low bid prices for this quarter were reported by the OTCQB marketplace. There was no trading volume during this period.

Holders

As of the date of this filing, there are approximately 432 record holders of our common stock and one holder of our Series B Preferred Stock.

DIVIDENDPOLICY

 

We have never paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We anticipate that we will retain funds and future earnings to support operations and to finance the growth and development of our business. Therefore, we do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future following this offering, if at all. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant. In addition, the terms of any future debt or credit financings may preclude us from paying dividends.

 

 

MANAGEMENT’SMARKET FOR COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Market Information

Our common stock is currently available for trading in the over-the-counter market and is quoted on the OTCQB under the symbol “PTIX.” There has been very limited market for our common stock and trading volume has been negligible. There is no guarantee that an active trading market will develop in our common stock. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated and as reported on the OTC Markets, the high and low bid prices for our common stock. Such quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, markdown or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

  High  Low 
       
2019(1)        
First Quarter (1) $2.30  $2.00 
Second Quarter (1) $2.00  $1.50 
Third Quarter (1) $1.50  $1.40 
Fourth Quarter (1) $3.80  $1.40 
         
2020(1)        
First Quarter (1) $1.72  $1.16 
Second Quarter (1) $2.00  $1.15 
Third Quarter (1) $2.00  $1.17 
Fourth Quarter (1) $1.22  $1.05 

(1)The high and low bid prices for this quarter were reported by the OTCQB marketplace. There was negligible trading volume during this period.

Holders

As of March 17, 2021, there are approximately 3,100 record holders of our common stock and three holders of our Series B Preferred Stock.

36

CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and our capitalization as of December 31, 2020, on:

● an actual basis; and

a pro forma basis to give effect to the sale and issuance 2,650,000 units offered by us in this offering, based on the public offering price of $4.15 per unit (the midpoint of the estimated public offering range of between $4.13 and $4.17), after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses.

You should read this table together with the sections of this prospectus titled “Description of Capital Stock” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes in this prospectus.

  Actual  

Pro Forma

(unaudited)

 
Cash and Cash Equivalents $671,091  $10,238,791 
Total Debt $1,373,796  $1,373,796 
Stockholders’ Equity        
Preferred stock, $0.000001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 872,766 shares issued and outstanding in the following classes:        
Preferred stock; par value $0.000001; 2,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding  -     
Series B convertible preferred stock, $0.000001 par value; 18,000,000 shares authorized; 872,766 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020 $1   1 
Common stock, $.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized, 10,360,480 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020 and 13,010,480 on a pro forma basis $1,036  $

1,301

 
Additional paid-in-capital $16,719,749  $

26,287,184

 
Accumulated deficit $(17,698,936) $(17,698,936)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss $(171,586) $(171,586)
Total Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) $(1,149,736) $

8,417,964

 
Total Capitalization $224,060  $

9,791,760

 

37

DILUTION

The sale of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus will have a dilutive impact on our stockholders.

Our net tangible book deficit as of December 31, 2020 was $(1,149,736), or $(0.11) per share. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our total tangible assets, less total liabilities, by the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2020. Dilution with respect to net tangible book value per share represents the difference between the amount per share and accompanying warrant paid by purchasers in this offering and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering.

After giving effect to (1) the sale of 2,650,000 shares of our common stock in this offering, at a public offering price of $4.15 per share, our pro forma net tangible book value as of December 31, 2020 would have been $8.4 million, or $0.65 per share. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $0.76 per share to existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $3.50 per share to new investors purchasing shares of our common stock.

The following table illustrates this calculation on a per share basis.

Public offering price per share     $

4.15

 
Net tangible book deficit per share as of December 31, 2020 $(0.11)    
Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to this offering  

0.76

  

 
Pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering     $0.65 
Dilution per share to new investors participating in the offering     $

(3.50

)

If the underwriter exercises its option to purchase additional shares in full, our as-adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2020 would be $9.94 million, or $0.74 per share, representing an increase in the net tangible book value to existing stockholders of $0.85 per share and immediate dilution of $3.41 per share to new investors purchasing shares of our common stock in this offering.

The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding as shown above is based on 10,360,480 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2020, and excludes as of that date:

5,597,861 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2020, at a weighted average exercise price of $1.47 per share; and
4,007,058 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2020, at a weighted average exercise price of $1.06 per share; and

1,598,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of principal and accrued interest underlying the convertible notes, outstanding as of December 31, 2020, assuming a conversion date of December 31, 2020, and any additional shares of our common stock issuable as a result of any anti-dilution adjustments under the convertible notes; and

4,304,245 shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2016 equity incentive plan as well as any automatic increases in the number of shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under this plan.
2,650,000 shares of common stock which may be issued upon exercise of the warrants issued in this offering.

To the extent that options outstanding as of December 31, 2020 have been or may be exercised or other shares are issued, investors purchasing our securities in this offering may experience further dilution. In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that additional capital is raised through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders.

38

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Prospective investorsYou should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included at the end of this prospectus. This discussion and other financial information included elsewhere in this prospectus. Someparts of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this prospectus including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includescontain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” You should reviewuncertainties, such as statements of our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. As a result of many factors, including those factors set forth in the “Risk Factors”Risk factors section of this prospectus, for a discussion of important factors that could causeour actual results tocould differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.

As the result of the Merger Transactions and the change in our business to a biotechnology company, a discussion of the past financial results of Predecessor is not pertinent, and the financial results of Protagenic, the accounting acquirer, are considered our financial results on a historical and going-forward basis.

 

The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on Protagenic’s financial statements, which Protagenic has prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires Protagenic to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. On an ongoing basis, Protagenic evaluates such estimates and judgments, including those described in greater detail below. Protagenic bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other factors that Protagenic believes are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

Historical BackgroundWe expect to continue to incur significant expenses and minimal positive net cash flows from operations or negative net cash flows from operations for the foreseeable future, and those expenses and losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year. We anticipate that our expenses will fluctuate substantially as we:

 

The Company was originally incorporated in Delaware on February 3, 1994 under the name Millbrook Acquisition Corp. The Company was the successor to The Millbrook Press Inc., which was a wholly-owned subsidiary● continue our ongoing preclinical studies, clinical trials and our product development activities for our pipeline of Antia Publishing Company, a Delaware corporation, which in turn was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Groupe de la Cite International, a Science Anonyme organized under French law.  In February 1994, the founders of the Company effected a management buyout by forming the Company which purchased substantially all of the assets of The Millbrook Press Inc.product candidates;

 

For the next 10 years, the Company was involved in a variety of attempts at creating a profitable, sustainable business model in the publishing and retail sectors, none of which succeeded. On February 6, 2004, the Company filed a voluntary petition● seek regulatory approvals for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut (the "Bankruptcy Court") and changed its name to MPLC, Inc.any product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;

 

Also in 2004, a biotechnology company called Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (referred to herein as “Protagenic”) was organized under the name Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc., with the goal● continue research and preclinical development and initiate clinical trials of commercializing novel peptide drugs that had been discovered in the laboratory of Dr. David Lovejoy (“The Professor”) at the University of Toronto (UofT). The Company specializes in the discovery and development of therapeutics to treat central nervous system (CNS) disorders. PTI’s mission is to provide safe and effective treatments for mood, anxiety, depression and neurodegenerative disorders by using novel peptide-base, brain active therapeutics. The Company’s strategy is to develop, test and obtain regulatory approval for various applications of these brain active therapeutics.our other product candidates;

 

On January 31, 2007, MPLC, Inc. entered into an exchange agreement ("Exchange Agreement”)● seek to discover and develop additional product candidates either internally or in partnership with New Motion, Inc., a Delaware corporation formed in March 2005 (“New Motion”), the stockholders of New Motion (the "Stockholders"), and Trinad Capital Master Fund. On May 2, 2007, the Company changed its corporate name to New Motion, Inc.other pharmaceutical companies;

 

As part of a corporate re-branding strategy, on June 25, 2009, New Motion, Inc. changed its name● adapt our regulatory compliance efforts to Atrinsic, Inc.  Its new corporate image wasincorporate requirements applicable to marketed products;

● maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio; and

● incur additional legal, accounting and other expenses in operating as a provider of “digital advertising and marketing services,” primarily digital music, casual games, interactive contests, and communities/lifestyles.

Meanwhile, from 2006 through 2014, Protagenic sponsored fundamental research & development work in the Lovejoy lab at the UofT aimed at demonstrating the efficacy of Protagenic‘s lead drug candidate, known as Teneurin C-Terminus Associated Peptide, or TCAP-1, and elucidating its mechanism of action. This research resulted in a detailed understanding of the peptide and its actions on neurons. Protagenic’s worldwide exclusive technology license agreement with the UofT gives it sole rights to commercialize and eventually sell drugs related to the TCAP family of proteins.

By early 2015, it became clear that the Company needed an influx of working capital in order to meet its goal of completing the process of applying for an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to sell a commercial version of TCAP-1. To secure this capital, Management chose to pursue a reverse merger and financing strategy, with the help of a placement agent. This resulted in the introduction of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc., to the former Atrinsic, Inc., and the consummation of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in mid-2015 that the two companies would merge and conduct an equity financing, with the former Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. shareholders owning approximately 80% of the pre-financing entity, and the former Atrinsic, Inc. shareholders owning the other 20%.

On February 12, 2016, Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. merged into Protagenic Acquisition Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atrinsic, Inc., and raised gross proceeds of approximately $4.6 million in the 2016 Private Placement. All previous lines of business of Atrinsic, Inc. where theretofore dropped in favor of the field of neurologic drug development. On June 17, 2016, Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. was merged with and into Atrinsic. Atrinsic was the surviving corporation in this merger and changed its name from Atrinsic to Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.

Protagenic Therapeutics Canada (2006) Inc. (“PTI Canada”) was incorporated in 2006 in the Province of Ontario, Canada. PTI Canada is our wholly-owned subsidiary. PTI Canada provides us with operational support and assistance for the implementation of our corporate and operational activities conducted in Canada. public company.

 

Results of Operations

We are a development stage company currently performing clinical trials to obtain FDA approval. We have no revenue.Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approval and commercialization of our product.

 

ForDuring the yearsyear ended December 31, 2015 and 2014,2020, we incurred a loss from operations of $1,025,038 and $292,100 respectively. The increase in loss can be largely attributed$2,551,611 as compared to an increases in research & development costs of $103,305 due to clinical trial budget expansion as the size and complexity of the test subjects increase, in legal fees of $189,452 associated with capital funding transactions and the merger, and in stock compensation of $393,461 relating to the issuance of 490,000 stock options and 250,000 stock warrants during$2,086,130 for the year ended December 31, 2015.

During the three months ended September 30, 2016, we incurred a loss from operations of approximately $454,827 as compared to $360,839 for three months ended September 30, 2015. The increase in the loss is offset by a decrease in research and development of $88,873 from $203,814 for the three months ended September 30, 2015 to $114,941 for the three months ended September 30, 2016 coinciding with an increase in general and administrative expenses of $182,861 from $157,025 for the three months ended September 30, 2015 to $339,886 for three months ended September 30, 2016.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, we incurred a loss from operations of approximately $1,677,225 as compared to $511,723 for nine months ended September 30, 2015.2019. The increase in the loss is due to an increasea decrease in research and development expense of $272,424$108,150 from $265,238$807,947 for the nine monthsyear ended September 30, 2015December 31, 2019 to $537,662$699,797 for the nine monthsyear ended September 30, 2016December 31, 2020, and an increase in general and administrative expenses of $488,909$573,631 from $246,485$1,278,183 for the nine monthsyear ended September 30, 2015December 31, 2019 to $735,394 for$1,851,814 or the nine monthsyear ended September 30, 2016. In addition, during the nine months ended September 30, 2016, we incurredDecember 31, 2020 due to an impairment of goodwill of $404,169 with no such impairmentincrease in the prior year.stock compensation expense.

 

Liquidity and Going Concern

 

We continually project anticipated cash requirements, predominantly from the ongoing funding requirements of our neuropeptide drug development program. The majority of these expenses relate to paying external vendors such as Contract Research Organizations (CROs) and peptide synthesizer companies. They could also include business combinations, capital expenditures, and new drug development working capital requirements.

As of September 30, 2016,December 31, 2020, we had cash of $3,488,978$671,091 and working capital of $2,937,320.$224,060. The Company currently has a derivative liability on the books in the amount of $83,670 and we don’t expect to settle this liability in cash. Removing the derivative liability from the working capital calculation would increase our working capital to $307,730. We anticipate further losses in the development of our business.

Based on ourits current forecast and budget, Management believes that the Company’sits cash resources will be sufficient to fund its operations for approximately eighteen months.at least until the end of the third quarter of 2021. Absent generation of sufficient revenue from the execution of the Company’s business plan, weit will need to obtain debt or equity financing in mid-2018.by the third quarter of 2021.

 

Operating activities used $798,511$1,348,779 and $160,116$487,990 in cash for the nine monthsyears ended September 30, 2016December 31, 2020 and 2015,2019, respectively. The sourcesuse of cash fromin operating activities during the nine monthsyear ended September 30, 2016,December 31, 2020, primarily comprised of $1,719,749$2,548,735 net loss, $404,169 of goodwill impairment, $450,566$1,654,754 in stock compensation expense, $7,161 in interest accrued on the bridge loan, $150,000 in legal expenses satisfied through the issuance of Series B preferred stock, $29,332($248,552) of change in the fair value of the derivative liability since inception, $6,428 received on tax receivables,December 31, 2019, a decrease in prepaid expenses of $164,802, amortization of debt discount of $154,899, and a $30,131($196,629) decrease of accounts payable and accrued expenses, which included payments to tax penalties, legal and accounting professionals, payments to consultants, and other administrative expenses.

Our rate of negative cash flow is approximately $200,000 per month.  This consists of approximately $90,000 per month in fixed operating costs ($28,000 legal & accounting, $25,000 mechanics of being public, and $36,000 in personnel costs) and $110,000 per month in volitional research and development spending on our IND program for our lead drug candidate, PT00114, including the costs of preclinical studies of our drug performed at contract research organizations (CROs) on our behalf.

 

Our non-cash expenses were significantly larger

Investing activities provided $0 and $250,000 in cash for the year-endedyears ended December 31, 2015 than they were for the year-ended December 31, 2014. In particular, we booked $478,629 in non-cash stock compensation expense in 2015, compared to just $85,168 non-cash compensation expense in 2014. This related to the issuance of 490,000 stock options2020 and 250,000 stock warrants2019, respectively. The cash provided by investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2015. This contributed to2019 consisted of $250,000 from the much larger net losssale of marketable securities.

Financing activities provided $1,223,410 and $670,000 in 2015. Forcash for the years ended December 31, 20152020 and 2014, we incurred a loss2019, respectively. The cash provided by financing consisted of $1,177,500 in proceeds from operationsconvertible notes, $150,000 in proceeds from convertible notes from related parties, and ($104,090) in payment of $1,025,038 and $292,100 respectively. In addition to the non-cash expenses, the larger loss can be attributed to an increases in research & developmentdebt issuance costs of $103,305 due to clinical trial budget expansion asconvertible notes for the sizeyear ended December 31, 2020. The cash provided by financing consisted of $420,000 in proceeds from convertible notes and complexity of$250,000 in proceeds from convertible notes from related parties for the test subjects increased, and in legal fees of $189,452 associated with capital funding transactions and the merger.year ended December 31, 2019.

 

Two other material changes arose in our cash flows for the year-ended December 31, 2015 relative to for the year-ended December 31, 2014. One of these changes was the drawing down of funds from a bridge loan from a related party (our Chairman) in 2015 that had not occurred in 2014. This resulted in $387,630 in cash flow in 2015 compared with none from this source in 2014. The other material change resulted from the development of a larger accounts payable balance by the end of 2015. We served to conserve cash in 2015 by maintaining a $154,529 accounts payable balance as of December 31, 2015, compared with an accounts payable balance of approximately 1/10th of that magnitude, just $15,423, as of December 31, 2014.Contractual Obligations

We do not have investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015.

Our financing activities provided cash of $4,302,437 for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. On February 12, March 2, 2016, and April 15, 2016 we raised gross proceeds of $5,135,575 in the three closings of our Series B financing equity capital raising transaction, of which $1,850,000 was from our two principal institutional stockholders, Iroquois Capital and Hudson Bay Capital. With these proceeds, we converted $350,000 of stockholder debt to Series B preferred stock. We paid $332,000 in closing costs, including $125,000 paid on accrued liabilities, and an additional $150,000 in legal expenses netted against the $2,000,000 invested on behalf of Iroquois Capital and Hudson Bay Capital per requirements of the Merger Agreement.

Within the next two years, we are likely to seek additional financing in two ways:

(1)     by approaching large pharmaceutical companies who may be interested in licensing the commercial rights to our lead drug candidate, PT00114, for a non-core indication or in a non-core geographic region (such as an indication other than anxiety, depression, or addictive behavior therapy, or a region of the world other than North America or Europe). If we are successful in striking a partnership with a large pharmaceutical company in this way, we may receive an up-front licensing fee that could be significant.

(2)     In the absence of a licensing opportunity with a large pharmaceutical partner, we may undertake an equity financing in mid-2018, in order to raise $10 million or more in working capital to fund our first two phases of clinical trials. In this event, Management would aim to complete our IND application process prior to or coincident with this possible equity financing, because the IND submission would represent a developmental milestone that could increase the value of the Company’s equity in the view of future investors.

 

The anticipated impact onfollowing table sets forth certain information concerning the future contractual obligations under our cash position of either of these financing options would be to provide enough working capital to fund Phase I and Phase IIa clinical trials. The anticipated impact on the Company’s liquidity and operations is that the Company would be able to continue operating beyond 2018 that its current cash position provides for.leases at December 31, 2020.

 

Recent Developments

  Payments due by period       
Contractual obligations Total  Less than
1 year
  1-3 years  3-5 years  More than
5 years
 
Long-Term PIK convertible notes payable $1,597,500  $       -  $       -  $1,597,500  $       - 
Long-Term PIK convertible notes payable– Related Party $400,000  $-  $-  $400,000  $- 
Total $1,997,500  $-  $-  $1,997,500  $- 

On February 12, 2016, we merged Protagenic Acquisition Corp (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atrinsic, Inc.) with and into Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. with Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. remaining as the surviving corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atrinisic, Inc. As a result of the merger, we acquired the business of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. and will continue its existing business operations. On June 17, 2016, we merged Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. with and into Atrinsic, Inc. and changed our name to Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.

Simultaneously with the Merger, on February 12, 2016, we converted all of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock, on a 1-for-1 basis, into shares of the Atrinsic’s Series B Preferred Stock, par value $0.000001 per share (“Series B Preferred Stock”). All of the issued and outstanding options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, and all of the issued and outstanding warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, converted, on a 1-for-1 basis, into options and new warrants, respectively, to purchase shares of Series B Preferred Stock. The new options will be administered under the Company’s 2006 Employee, Director and Consultant Stock Plan, which we assumed and adopted on February 12, 2016, in connection with the Merger.

Concurrently with the closing of the Merger, we conducted the first closing of our 2016 Private Placement of Series B Preferred Stock. At the first closing, we sold 2,775,000 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at a purchase price of $1.25 per share, for which we received total gross consideration of $3,468,750. Of this amount, $350,000 consisted of conversion of outstanding stockholder debt held by Garo H. Armen, our chairmen and a member of our board of directors, and $150,000 of legal expenses incurred by Strategic Bio Partners LLC, stockholders of the Predecessor, in conjunction with and as allowed by the merger agreement. On March 2, 2016, we completed the second closing of the 2016 Private Placement, at which we issued an additional 913,200 shares of Series B Preferred Stock to accredited investors, for total gross proceeds of $1,141,500. On April 15, 2016, we completed the final closing of the 2016 Private Placement, at which we issued an additional 420,260 shares of Series B Preferred Stock to accredited investors, for total gross proceeds of $525,325.

For all three closings, we raised total gross proceeds of $4,635,575 and total net proceeds of $4,283,438 (or total gross proceeds of $5,135,575 and total net proceeds of $4,783,438, including the conversion of the $350,000 in stockholder debt and $150,000 in legal expenses referred to above). We issued 4,108,460 shares of Series B Preferred Stock to investors in the 2016 Private Placement. The Placement Agent and its selected dealers were paid total cash commissions of $159,183 and the Placement Agent was paid an expense allowance of $15,000 and was issued (together with its selected dealers) Placement Agent Warrants to purchase 127,346 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at an exercise price of $1.25 per share.

Following the final closing of the 2016 Private Placement, we have agreed to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission for resale the shares of common stock underlying the Series B Preferred Stock sold in the 2016 Private Placement and the Placement Agent Warrants.

 

Plan of Operations

 

Business Overview

 

The Company is in its developmental stage, with encouraging but not conclusive evidence that its lead drug candidate, PT00014, may be effective as an anti-anxiety and/or anti-depression drug. It is focused on confirming the efficacy of this drug candidate, along with performing the other preclinical steps needed to progress along the pathway to bring this drug candidate into human clinical trials and eventually, to the global market to provide a new pharmaceutical for patients suffering from anxiety or treatment-resistant depression.

 

 

Our anticipated timeline for reaching the significant milestonesWe anticipate $4,225,000 in capital expenditures in FY 2021 to implement our current plan of operations andin connection with the costs associates with our plan are set forth in the table below:development of PT00114.

4Q 2016

 

Estimated Cost

 

Complete peptide production

 $250,000 

CMC consulting

 $15,000 

Preclinical study design consulting

 $12,000 
     

1Q 2017

    

Begin in Vitro Pharmacology

 $125,000 

Begin Pharmacokinetics

 $120,000 

Complete preclinical efficacy studies

 $158,000 
     

2Q 2017

    

Complete in Vitro Pharmacology

 $68,000 

Complete Pharmacokinetics

 $120,000 

Create custom tagged antibodies

 $104,000 

Complete antibody purification

 $24,000 
     

3Q 2017

    

Completion of ELISA tests

 $45,000 

Complete Custom antibodies as an alternative to ELISA

 $37,000 

Complete toxicology studies in two species

 $200,000 
     

4Q 2017

    

Complete Stability and Formulation

 $85,000 

Write our first IND application

 $80,000 
     

1Q 2018

    

Submit our first IND application

 $60,000 
     

2Q 2018

    

Begin dosing healthy volunteers in Phase I trial

 $175,000 

 

If we are able to successfully develop our drug, PT00114, and obtain FDA approval, we could then begin marketing and selling it in the United States and generate revenue. FDA approval to begin commercial sales is the singular gating item that will allow us to begin generating sales revenue in the U.S., so it will have an enormous impact on our business plan and our financial condition. It is anticipated that the sale of our drug will allow the Company to generate enough sales revenue to support all of our operations and to generate a profit. However, given the stage of development, even if FDA Approval is obtained, it iswe do not anticipatedanticipate generating any revenue from sales prior to 2023.2024.

 

Development Milestones (upcoming developmental milestones)

 

Upcoming development milestones include confirming efficacy of our lead drug candidate in an animal model in a clinical research organization (CRO),CRO, conducting toxicology testing in two animal species, and filing an Investigational New Drug (IND)IND application to begin human clinical trials.

 

Human Resources (current state of employees and future plans towards employeesemployees)

 

The Company has threetwo part-time employees: David Hogg, PhD, a Research Technician, Garo H. Armen, PhD, the Executive Chairman, and Alexander K. Arrow, MD, the Chief Financial Officer. The Company also has threesix paid consultants: Andrew Slee, PhD, Chief Operating Officer, Robert S. Stein, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, Dalia Barsyte, PhD, Chief Technology Officer,Scientific Advisor, David Lovejoy, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer,Advisor, and Christina Fam Faragalla, Director of Project Management.Zack Armen, Strategic Advisor.

 

Financing – Capital Needs

 

The

In addition to the working capital being generated via the Convertible Note Offering, the Company anticipates that it will need to raise additional capital in the next two yearsyear or so to support its R&Dresearch and development activities as it prepares to commence and commences human clinical trials. The Company does not have any commitments for such additional capital.

 

Over the next twothree years, we currently anticipate capital expenditures of $4,225,000 in 2021, $6,278,000 in 2022, and $12,215,000 in 2023. These expenditures are anticipated to be focused on conducting the following research and development activities at the following estimated costs and expense:in connection with our lead drug candidate as well as other potential drug candidates.

Basic Science of TCAP-1

 $110,000 

Efficacy Studies

 $320,000 

Toxicology Studies

 $200,000 

Stability and Formulation

 $85,000 

Custom antibodies as an alternative to ELISA

 $37,000 

Tagged antibodies

 $104,000 

Antibody purification

 $24,000 

Clinical consultants

 $20,000 

Medical Writing and IND application compilation

 $79,000 

Technical Infrastructure

 $11,000 

Total R&D not including personnel

 $980,000 

Contractual Arrangements

Bridge loan to Garo Armen. We entered into a series of bridge loan arrangements with Garo Armen, a major stockholder and Chairman, for total borrowings received and interest accrued of approximately $399,103 as of December 31, 2015 and $422,752 as of the date of the Merger Closing Date. On February 12, 2016, the Company converted $350,000 in principal and accrued interest on the note into shares of Series B Preferred Stock at a price of $1.25 per share. On June 17, 2016, the Company converted the remaining $75,264 in principal and accrued interest on the note into shares of Series B Preferred Stock at a price of $1.25 per share.

Operating lease. We paid Robert Ziroyan rent on the property for which a portion of operations are held at as part of the contractual obligation within his employment agreement. We occupy roughly 1/3 of the total rented area and pay rent in an amount approximately 1/3 of the total monthly rent of the property. As of December 31, 2015, the monthly rent was $430 per month.

 

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We have no material off-balance sheet arrangements that are likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital resources, or capital expenditures.

 

40

Significant Accounting PoliciesCritical accounting policies and estimates

 

We have identified significant accounting principles that affectOur discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, by considering accounting policies that involve the most complex or subjective decisions or assessments as well as considering newly adopted principles. They are:

Basis of Presentation.Protagenic Therapeutics Inc.’s consolidated financial statementswhich have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and includeaccounting principles generally accepted in the accountsUnited States of PTI U.S.A, and our wholly owned subsidiary, PTI Canada. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated fromAmerica (“GAAP”). The notes to the consolidated financial statements contained in this Annual Report describe our significant accounting policies used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements. The preparation of these financial statements requires us 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 during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates. We continually evaluate our critical accounting policies and estimates.

We believe the critical accounting policies listed below reflect significant judgments, estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

 

Foreign Currency Translation and Transactions.The assets and liabilities of our foreign subsidiary PTI Canada are translated into U.S. dollars from the functional currency using the exchange rate in effect at the balance sheets date. Additionally, the accounts on the statements of operations are translated using exchange rates approximating average rates prevailing during the years. Equity accounts are translated at historical exchange rates. Translation adjustments that arise from translating its financial statements from the local currency to the U.S. dollar are accumulated and reflected as a separate component of stockholders’ equity (deficit). The current year effecteffects of the transaction adjustments are included on the statement of operations as a realized gain (loss) on foreign transaction exchange.

 

Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”)GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses as well as the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Management continually evaluates its estimates and judgments including those related to accruals, contingencies, valuation allowance for deferred tax assets, and valuation of stock options and warrants. Management bases its estimates and judgments on historical experience and other factors that are believed to be reasonable in the circumstances. Actual results may differ from those estimates. Macroeconomic conditions may directly, or indirectly through our business partners and vendors, impact our financial performance and available resources. Such conditions may, in turn, impact the aforementioned estimates and assumptions.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents.Cash equivalents consist of money market instruments with an original maturity at the time of purchase of three months or less. Our policy is to maintain its cash and cash equivalents with reputable financial institutions assessed on an annual basis. There are no cash equivalents at this time. There is little concentration of credit risk for foreign cash as minimal balances of cash are held by PTI Canada.

Equipment.Equipment was stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Improvements and replacements of equipment are capitalized. Maintenance and repairs that do not improve or extend the lives of equipment are charged to expense as incurred. When assets are retired, their cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss will be reported in the consolidated statements of operations. Depreciation is computed using straight- line methods over their estimated useful lives ranging from 3 to 5 years.

Rebates from Research and Development Credits.We derive rebates from scientific research and experimental development tax credits issued by the Canada Revenue Agency for qualified expenditures. The credits are recognized when the rebate is issued. The amounts received are reinvested into our scientific research, experimental development and operational works conducted in Canada.

Research and Development Expenses, net of Rebates.Research and development expenditures for present and future products are expensed as incurred.

Fair Value Measurements. Accounting Standards Codification ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements. Cash and cash equivalents, accounts payable, and accrued expenses carry value equals approximately theDisclosure,” defines fair value dueas the price that would be received to its short term nature. Based onsell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the borrowing rates currently availablemeasurement date, not adjusted for transaction costs. ASC 820 also establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to Protagenic Therapeutics Inc.valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels giving the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for loans with similar termsidentical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the expected short term maturity, the carrying value of the bridge note payable approximates fair value.lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3).

 

The three levels are described below:

Level 1 Inputs – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that is accessible by the Company;

Level 2 Inputs – Quoted prices in markets that are not active or financial instruments for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly;

Level 3 Inputs – Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability including significant assumptions of the Company and other market participants.

Stock-Based Compensation.We record stock based compensation

Derivative Liability. The Company evaluates its options, warrants or other contracts, if any, to determine if those contracts or embedded components of those contracts qualify as derivatives to be separately accounted for in accordance with ASC 718. In estimating815-10-05-4 and 815-40-25. The result of this accounting treatment is that the grant date fair value of stock option awardsthe embedded derivative is marked-to-market each balance sheet date and performance based restricted stock, we userecorded as either an asset or a liability. In the Black Scholes option pricing model and other binomial pricing models where appropriate. The key assumptions for these models to deriveevent that the fair value include expected term, rateis recorded as a liability, the change in fair value is recorded in the consolidated statement of risk free returns,operations as other income or expense. Upon conversion, exercise or cancellation of a derivative instrument, the instrument is marked to fair value at the date of conversion, exercise or cancellation and volatility.then the related fair value is reclassified to equity.

 

41

Income Taxes.We account for income taxes utilizing

The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period. Equity instruments that are initially classified as equity that become subject to reclassification are reclassified to liability method. Deferred income tax assets andat the fair value of the instrument on the reclassification date. Derivative instrument liabilities are computed annually for differences between the consolidated financial statement basis and tax basis of assets and liabilities that will result in taxable or deductible amountsbe classified in the futurebalance sheet as current or non-current based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable towhether or not net-cash settlement of the periods in whichderivative instrument is expected within 12 months of the differences are expected to affect taxable income. A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the carrying amounts of deferred tax assets unless it is more likely than not that such asset will be realized.balance sheet date.

 Management has determined that a valuation allowance is required for the deferred tax assets which is primarily attributable to net operating loss carry forwards for federal and state tax purposes. The net operating losses expire through 2035 and 2022 for federal and state taxes, respectively. Thus, the consolidated financial statements do not reflect a deferred tax provision.

Basic and Diluted Net (Loss) per Common Share.Basic (loss) per common share is computed by dividing the net (loss) by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding for each period. Diluted (loss) per share is computed by dividing the net (loss) by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding plus the dilutive effect of shares issuable through the common stock equivalents. Potentially dilutive securities consisting of options, warrants, and warrantsconvertible notes aggregating 5,535,76711,085,039 as of April 15, 2016,December 31, 2020, including common shares issuable under the conversion feature of the preferred shares, options, $1,997,500 worth of convertible Notes, which could convert into 1,598,000 shares of common stock, and warrants issued in the Private Offering closingand Convertible Note Offering, closings and merger transactions were not included in the calculation of weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding as they were determined to be anti-dilutive.

COVID-19

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) declared the Covid-19 outbreak to be a global pandemic. In addition to the devastating effects on human life, the pandemic is having a negative ripple effect on the global economy, leading to disruptions and volatility in the global financial markets. Most U.S. states and many countries have issued policies intended to stop or slow the further spread of the disease. Covid-19 and the U.S. response to the pandemic are significantly affecting the economy. There are no comparable events that provide guidance as to the effect the Covid-19 pandemic may have, and, as a result, the ultimate effect of the pandemic is highly uncertain and subject to change. We do not yet know the full extent of the effects on the economy, the markets we serve, our business, or our operations.

 

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740). The amendments in ASU 2015-17 change the requirements for the classification of deferred taxes on the balance sheet. Currently, GAAP requires an entity to separate deferred income tax liabilities and assets into current and noncurrent amounts in a classified statement of financial position. To simplify the presentation of deferred income taxes, the amendments in this ASU require that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. The pronouncement is effective for fiscal years and interim periods within those fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. Earlier application is permitted for all entities as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The Company has not yet selected a transition method nor has it determined the effect of the standard on its ongoing financial reporting.

None

 

On March 30, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, "Compensation - Stock Compensation" which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions for both public and nonpublic entities, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. For public business entities, the ASU is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those annual reporting periods. Early adoption will be permitted in any interim or annual period for which financial statements have not yet been issued or have not been made available for issuance. If early adoption is elected, all amendments in the ASU that apply must be adopted in the same period. In addition, if early adoption is elected in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of the annual period that includes that interim period. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of the standard on its consolidated financial statements.

 

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, Leases. The main provisions of ASU No. 2016-02 require management to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities for all leases. ASU 2016-02 retains a distinction between finance leases and operating leases. The classification criteria for distinguishing between finance leases and operating leases are substantially similar to the classification criteria for distinguishing between capital leases and operating leases in the previous leases guidance. The result of retaining a distinction between finance leases and operating leases is that under the lessee accounting model, the effect of leases in the statement of comprehensive income and the statement of cash flows is largely unchanged from previous GAAP. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently assessing the impact of this ASU on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective accounting pronouncements, if adopted, would have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements filed with this annual report.

BUSINESS

 

Overview

 

We are a Delaware corporationbiopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of therapeutics to treat central nervous system (CNS)stress-related neuropsychiatric and mood disorders. Our missionproprietary, patent-protected, first-in-class lead compound, PT00114, is a synthetic form of Teneurin Carboxy-terminal Associated Peptide (“TCAP”), an endogenous brain signaling peptide that can dampen overactive stress responses. Our preclinical models have demonstrated efficacy of PT00114 in animal models of depression, anxiety, substance abuse & addiction, and PTSD.

As stated in the Summary of the Prospectus above, PT00114 leverages a completely novel mechanism of action. Protagenic owns exclusive, worldwide rights to provide safePT00114 through its license agreement with the University of Toronto and effective treatments for mood,has an exclusive right to license additional intellectual property generated by Dr. David Lovejoy’s lab at University of Toronto. Additionally, the company is engaged in the research & development of follow-on compounds in the TCAP family. Extensive publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals underline the central role stress plays in the onset and proliferation of neuropsychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, depressionsubstance abuse & addiction, and neurodegenerative disorders by using novel peptide-base, brain active therapeutics. Our strategy isPTSD. The mechanism of action of TCAP suggests that it counterbalances stress overdrive at the cellular level within the brain’s stress response cascade. TCAP works to develop, testalleviate the harmful behavioral, biochemical, and obtain regulatory approval for various applicationsphysiological effects of these disorders, while simultaneously restoring brain active therapeutics.health. This mechanism has been corroborated in preclinical animal models of the psychiatric disorders listed above. Preclinical experiments required for IND filing have been completed, and the company will seek to prove the safety and efficacy of PT00114 in humans through its initial clinical studies to commence by midyear 2021.

 

Our current business modelAs Protagenic transitions into a clinical-stage company, we aim to complete certain key strategic and tactical milestones over the coming two years;

Rapidly advance our lead product candidate, PT00114, through clinical trials in treatment resistant depression, substance use disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and/or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Develop additional product candidates from the TCAP family to build out a broad pipeline of assets with differentiated features using our unique expertise with this mechanism.
Explore efficacy in additional stress-related neuropsychiatric and mood disorders beyond initially targeted indications.
Facilitate long-term growth by building a nimble R&D, operational, clinical and commercial team.
Proactively assess strategic partnership opportunities including in important international markets

Continue with our strategy of strengthening our IP position in this important novel field of neuropsychiatry

IND Submission

We anticipate submitting an investigational new drug (IND) application in the second quarter of 2021 to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and early activity of PT100114 (TCAP) in healthy volunteers and patients with psychiatric illnesses. The IND enabling studies, including the preclinical efficacy data generated, as well as the GLP toxicology study, and a summary of the Phase I clinical trial plan, will be among the components of this key regulatory submission.

Clinical Development

The clinical development program will be led by Dr. Maurizio Fava, MD, PhD, a world-leader in psychiatric disorders, the Psychiatrist-in-Chief of the Massachusetts General Hospital and Slater Family Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Fava was co-principal investigator of STAR*D, the largest research study ever conducted in depression, has coauthored more than 800 medical journal publications, and is one of the top enrolling psychiatry clinicians in the US. Protagenic’s Phase I/II clinical study was designed aroundby Dr. Fava, who will be the furthertrial’s principal investigator.

We will launch our clinical program with a basket trial designed first to evaluate the safety of TCAP in a small cohort of healthy volunteers, immediately followed by the evaluation of safety, pharmacological and clinical activity in cohorts of patients with stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders including, but not limited to depression, addiction, anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We will be using this study for both safety and preliminary efficacy to prioritize indications for later phase development that would ultimately support a New Drug Application (NDA) and registration. The four indications were chosen for multiple reasons, including the mechanism of TCAP in reducing biological stress signals, preclinical evidence of efficacy in animal models of these applications,disorders and to obtain the required regulatory approvals to allow for the commercialization of our neuropeptide-based applications and products (see “Governmental Regulation” below). If approval is obtained, we expect to begin our sales efforts and anticipate generating revenue through both licensing and direct sales of our products.high unmet need in these patient populations, which creates significant market opportunity. We believe the basket trial structure offers the most efficient use of capital in early stage development and will give us insights into which indication we should focus on in advanced clinical trials. Healthy volunteers will be the first cohort and subsequent parallel cohorts will include patients with:

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) who have suboptimal response to or poorly tolerated two prior SSRIs / SNRIs

43

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) who have suboptimal response to or poorly tolerated two prior SSRIs /SNRIs
Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) who are on treatment with Suboxone and have suboptimal response
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) who have suboptimal response to or intolerance of sertraline and paroxetine

The trial will use a classic sequential dose escalation design using cohort replication with initial doses estimated from non-clinical data. The study will assess dose ranging through standard and small cohorts with a rules-based approach for dose, safety, efficacy, and biomarkers. Trial participants will have a maximal 28-day exposure. As this will be the first in human study of TCAP, safety and adverse events will be the primary endpoint. Key secondary endpoints were chosen to ascertain efficacy in individual conditions and compare drug impact across disparate diseases. All disease cohorts will be measured for Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), which is a validated broad self-rated outcome measure that has outperformed the clinician-rated Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scale in previous trials. Patients will also be assessed for stress biomarkers via pre- and post-treatment systemic cortisol levels and skin conductance. Each disease cohort (anxiety, depression, PTSD and addiction) will also have disease specific assessments.

Furthermore, although patient populations and their responses to CNS agents can be highly variable in clinical studies, we attempt to mitigate this by stratifying the initial series of cohorts to select for and control for corticosterone levels to enable the broadest window of effect detection. Preclinical studies of TCAP demonstrate that its beneficial actions are most easily observed in stressed animals, which show elevations of plasma corticosterone levels at baseline before TCAP treatment. Anxious or depressed patients have elevated corticosterone levels, providing an opportunity to identify patients more likely to benefit pharmacologically and potentially clinically. This also provides a useful translational bridge between preclinical behavioral models and human clinical studies and enables flexibility in evaluating routes of administration.

Market for Stress-Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Depression, Addiction, Anxiety, and PTSD

Humans living in our modern world, in both developed and developing nations, are being exposed to a multitude of life stressors that are progressively taking a toll on our mental health. The recent COVID-19 has exacerbated both near-term and long-term global impacts of stress-induced disorders on modern society. Stress-related mental, mood and behavioral disorders include, but are not limited to: treatment resistant depression (TRD), which is a subgroup of major depressive disorder (MDD); addiction or substance use disorder (SUD); and anxiety, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These disorders are a leading cause of disability worldwide and also a major contributor to suicide. Yet, a majority of these patients are inadequately served by current therapeutic options, which can establishhave limited efficacy, significant side effects and subsequently strengthen our market position in the following ways: (i) working to obtain FDA approval of current and future neuropeptide applications; (ii) investigating foreign marketshigh treatment burden. We believe these stress-related disorders are suitable indications for the use of our current and future products; (iii) securing relationships with strong partners in our field; (iv) entering into license agreements, strategic partnerships and joint ventures for our various applications; and, (v) continuing our current research into improving our processes, reducing costs and developing new and innovative applications.Protagenic Therapeutics neuropeptide-based drug candidates.

 

We intend to advancePT00114 through Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies,Major depressive disorder (MDD) is highly prevalent and enter PT00114 into clinical proof-of-concept studies in Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) and/or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (anticipated clinical start: 2017-2018).

Mood and Anxiety Disorders 

An estimated 340 million people worldwide and 40-60 million peopledisabling. The lifetime prevalence is approximately 12% with a past year prevalence of 7.8% of adults in the United States alonein 2019, translating to over 19 million adults each year. The World Health Organization estimates 264 million people globally suffer from mental disorders including Major Depressive Disorder, or MDD, including TRD, PTSD, Bipolar Disorderdepression, which ranks depression as one of the highest causes of disability and various Anxiety Disorders. The global sales of anxiolytic and antidepressant drugsmortality in the US were estimated to be $69 billion in 2013 and are projected to grow to nearly $77.1 billion by 2018. Yet, up to one-half of mood disorder patients are unresponsive to current treatments. Efficacy of therapy is challenged by non-compliance during the weeks to months required to achieve therapeutic benefit in combination with daily dosing requirements. Major targets in this space include TRD and PTSD, both indications which are highly resistant to available therapies.

Approximately 37% of those suffering from a MDD that do not respond to the current antidepressant medications constitute a separate group of people suffering from TRD. Despite a large patient population and current treatments that leave much room for improvement, the developmental pipelines are sparse and few novel candidates are in development. The serendipitous discoveries of current drug classes, and lack of efficacy have led to shrinkage or extinction of many pharma or small biotech neuroscience research programs. It is in this TRD market that we intend to focus our PT00114 development efforts.

TRD is the type of MDD that does not respond to standard courses of antidepressant medication.world. Stress plays a significant role in this illness thatand affects as many as half of people diagnosed with depression. MDD is characterized by multiple symptoms, potentially including depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, change in appetite or weight, sleep disturbance, fatigue or loss of energy, neurocognitive dysfunction, psychomotor agitation or retardation, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt, and suicidal ideation and behavior. MDD is highly treatment resistant, with 45-50% of patients who receive initial treatment for MDD not achieving long term remission, generally referred to as Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD). Patients suffering with TRD are at greater risk of hospitalization for their psychiatric illness and are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. These patients have a lower long-term quality of life and are at increased risk of attempting suicide. MDD is also highly recurrent and the estimated rate of recurrence over two years is over 40%, which rises to 75% after two episodes within five years.

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Treatment guidelines recommend the combination of pharmacotherapy plus psychotherapy, but pharmacotherapy alone and psychotherapy alone are frequently used. For initial pharmacotherapy with antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are recommended. However, several classes of antidepressants are available, including serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), atypical antidepressants, and serotonin modulators, with efficacy generally comparable across and within classes. Drug choice is based on multiple factors, including side effect profile, comorbid illnesses, concurrent medications, patient preference, and cost. Physicians typically cycle through multiple generics if the initial response is suboptimal or patients experience AEs. Efficacy of therapy is challenged by non-compliance during the weeks to months required to achieve therapeutic benefit in combination with daily dosing requirements. However, SSRIs can produce significant quality of life side effects that interfere with medication adherence, including sexual dysfunction, gastrointestinal nausea and diarrhea, insomnia and weight gain. As a last resort, this disease is currently managed by invasive treatment, primarily electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). However, the ECT treatment’s side effects and high cost prevent millionswidespread adoption.

Several drugs that have launched in recent years validate the market for branded agents in this field, in spite of people from taking advantagetheir marginal improvements in safety or efficacy. Takeda’s Trintellix (vortioxetine hydrobromide) launched in 2014 and has grown to $837M 2019 sales, largely due to studies added to the label after original approval showing cognitive function improvement and reduced incidence of it.treatment emergent sexual dysfunction (TESD). Despite these label additions, sales have lagged original consensus analyst forecasts, which at launch estimated 2019 worldwide sales of ~$1.1B.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most common mental disorders in both community and clinical settings. In the United States, the estimated lifetime prevalence of GAD is 5.7% with a past year prevalence of 2.7%, corresponding to 18 million and 9 million individuals, respectively. GAD is characterized by excessive and persistent worrying that causes significant distress or impairment on most days and is hard to control. Other symptoms can include apprehensiveness, irritability, increased fatigue and muscular tension. GAD is also associated with increased rates of substance abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. GAD is a potentially chronic illness, with symptom severity fluctuating over time. A 12-year study of treated patients showed approximately 60% of patients had symptoms resolve, but around one-half of those subsequently relapsed.

Pharmacotherapy for GAD is primarily selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), which are mildly efficacious. Clinical trials for different SSRIs and SNRIs have shown approximately the same effectiveness, with response rates of approximately 60- 70% for the drug and 40% for placebo. However, SSRIs can produce significant quality of life side effects that interfere with medication adherence, including sexual dysfunction, gastrointestinal nausea and diarrhea, insomnia and weight gain. Thus, choice of agent is often dependent on the patient’s side effect profile for individual drugs. Benzodiazepines are efficacious and can reduce emotional and somatic symptoms within hours. However, concerns about dependence risk has contributed to a decline in their use. Buspirone has similar efficacy to benzodiazepines without the risk of dependence but has a time to onset of approximately four weeks. As the majority of these agents are now available as generics, the worldwide market for GAD therapies was only $483M in 2019 and consensus analyst forecasts expect it to decline to $222M in 2026.

 

According toPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, with an article titled “Globalestimated past-year and lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders: a systemic review4.7% and meta-regression,” written by AJ Baxter et al.6.1%, (published inPsychologicalMedicine in 2013), PTSD affects an estimated 7.7 milliontranslating to 11.5M adults (3.5%) in the US witheach year. PTSD develops in some patients following exposure to a disproportionately high prevalence in war veterans. Therapeutic approaches include cognitive therapy in combination with antidepressants,traumatic event involving actual or threatened injury to themselves or others, such as war, natural disasters, rape or assault. Symptoms can be severe, chronic and disabling, which can include intrusive thoughts, nightmares and flashbacks of past traumatic events, avoidance of reminders of trauma, hypervigilance, and sleep disturbance, all of which lead to significant occupational and social impairment. Currently, PTSD is treated with psychotherapy and/or pharmacotherapy, with psychotherapy as the recommended primary intervention. Logistics and cost often limit access to psychotherapy, which results in many patients needing to rely on pharmacotherapy. Guidelines for pharmacotherapy recommend first-line treatment with sertraline and paroxetine, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). In addition to(SSRI) antidepressants, as these are the vulnerabilities noted aboveonly approved medications for antidepressant-related treatments, PTSDPTSD. However, these only treat one aspect of symptomology and efficacy is limited, with fewer than 30% of patients often present with co-morbiditiesexperiencing remission. The side effect profile of these agents results in significant rates of discontinuation, particularly the severe effects such as addictions or dependencies, whichsuicidality and sexual dysfunction. Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) and second-generation antipsychotics are used off-label in some patients, but efficacy is sporadic, and side-effects can make these undesirable therapeutic case management difficult.options. As all of these options are currently generic, branded commercial sales for PTSD is almost non-existent. Given the size of the potential addressable population and limited therapeutic options available, a therapy with a superior therapeutic index could achieve significant market penetration and sales.

 

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are highly prevalent, with ~7.2% of individuals age 12 or over having a diagnosable SUD in 2017, translating to ~20 million people in the United States. The majority of SUDs involve alcohol use disorder (14 million), followed by illicit drug use disorder (8 million). Illicit drug use and nonmedical use of medications alone or in combination with alcohol are associated with a substantial proportion of emergency department visits in the United States. Pharmacologic options to treat SUDs typically have limited efficacy, high treatment burden, with suboptimal side-effect profiles, ultimately leading to limited uptake and high remaining unmet medical need. 40- 60% of patients who receive SUD care experience chronic or relapsing disease course.

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The incidence of opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose deaths have reached epidemic proportions. Opioid use disorder is typically a chronic, relapsing illness, associated with significantly increased rates of morbidity and mortality. Opioid use disorder can be related to misuse of pharmaceutical opioids, heroin, or other opioids such as fentanyl and its analogues. The prevalence of heroin use and heroin use disorder nearly doubled between 2002 and 2018. In 2019, 2.1% of those 12 or older in the US were estimated to have used heroin at some point in their lives, translating 5.7 million people, with 431,000 (0.2%) having reported use in the last month. This resulted in an increase in heroin-related overdose deaths, with ~15,000 in the US in 2018. Approximately 65% of people who primarily use heroin have been reported to additionally use prescription opioids and heroin use is increasing for persons who begin by first having nonmedical use/abuse of prescription opioid analgesics. These prescription opioids can be obtained from a relative, friend or directly from a clinician. In 2015, 3.8 million people aged 12 and older in the US reported past month misuse of a prescription pain medication, 2 million of whom qualified for a disorder of opioid use or dependence.

Unmet needs are particularly high in OUD. First-line treatment for most patients is medication-assisted treatment, consisting of pharmacotherapy with an opioid agonist or antagonist in combination with psychotherapy. Pharmacotherapy can include an opioid agonist (methadone or buprenorphine) and/or an opioid antagonist (e.g. naltrexone). Guidelines for mild opioid use disorder suggest first-line treatment with long-acting injectable naltrexone (e.g. Vivitrol) administered monthly. Guidelines for moderate to severe opioid use disorder suggest initial use of buprenorphine (e.g. Suboxone) due to the higher risk of lethal overdose with methadone. Treatment can allow patients to return to a productive lifestyle but has low success rates and can be extremely burdensome. These therapies require patients remain on maintenance treatment with an opioid agonist for many years as they are physically dependent upon the medications. A minority may be tapered off after a few years, with the taper itself taking several months to years.

The treatment burden and side effect profile of these therapies is substantial. Buprenorphine is classified as a schedule III controlled substance in the United States, with use limited to certified and specially trained physicians. Side effects include sedation, headache, nausea, constipation, insomnia, and sweating. Death is possible if buprenorphine is taken in combination with other substances, especially benzodiazepines and alcohol. Methadone is highly regulated in the United States, where it is classified as a schedule II drug. Only licensed opioid treatment programs or inpatient hospital units are permitted to dispense. Typical side effects of methadone include constipation, drowsiness, sweating, peripheral edema, reduced libido, and erectile dysfunction, with some patients experiencing severe adverse effects including cardiac arrhythmias, hyperalgesia, and overdose.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is extraordinarily prevalent. Approximately 30% of adults in the United States use alcohol in an unhealthy manner and may need some form of intervention. The 2019 United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that of Americans over the age of 12 in the past 30 days, 24% reported binge drinking (five or more drinks on one occasion) and 6% reported heavy drinking (five or more drinks on each of five or more days). The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reports 28% of US adults exceed thresholds for risky use alcohol consumption, with 19% exceeding the daily limit and 9% exceeding both the daily and weekly limits. Rates of diagnosable AUD by DSM-5 criteria from the third National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions showed that 29% had met criteria for an alcohol use disorder in their lifetime and 14% met criteria for a current alcohol use disorder. Worldwide, the World Health Organization estimates that 5% of adults (>283 million people) had alcohol use disorder within the prior 12 months.

AUD is responsible for significant mortality and morbidity. Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States directly causing approximately 85,000 deaths per year, roughly 10% of deaths among working age adults. Nearly 5% of all deaths worldwide (approximately three million each year) have been attributed to alcohol use with 5% of those specifically due to AUD. The economic cost of excessive alcohol use in the United States is estimated to be $249 billion in 2010 by the CDC. Therapeutic unmet needs are significant for AUD and the condition is frequently untreated. Psychosocial interventions can be effective for treatment but up to 70% of individuals return to heavy drinking. For patients who met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol abuse, 46% were in remission, 24% continued to meet abuse criteria, and 30% met criteria for alcohol dependence in the future. For patients who met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence, 39% were in remission, 15% met criteria for abuse only, and 46% continued to meet dependence criteria.

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Several medications can be used to treat AUD, which can lead to reduced heavy drinking and increased days of abstinence. For most patients treated with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder, guidelines recommend first-line treatment with naltrexone (e.g. Vivitrol), an opioid antagonist. Vivitrol is an extended-release injectable naltrexone that allows for once monthly dosing that was approved in 2006. Vivitrol is priced at $~1370/month and worldwide sales have grown to $335M. Consensus analyst forecasts for Vivitrol project sales increasing to $419M in 2026, with patent expiry in 2028. Acamprosate (e.g. Campral) is recommended for those in whom naltrexone is contraindicated, such as those taking opioids or with acute hepatitis. Campral (Acamprosate) was approved by the FDA in 2004 and reached peak worldwide sales of $87M in 2008. Acamprosate is currently only available as generic in the US, but is still sold as branded Campral ex-US. Given the overall prevalence of AUD, these relatively low sales numbers indicate the vast majority of patients with AUD are not treated with pharmacotherapy.

Protagenic ResearchTeneurin Carboxy-terminal Associated Peptide (TCAP) as a Therapy

 

PT00114Our approach to treating stress-related neuropsychiatric and mood disorders is the first known example of a new class of brain-targeted therapies based on a newly-described and highly conserved family of neuropeptides that regulate stress-induced mood and addictive behaviors. PT00114 is believed to act via a novel mechanism of action and is therefore expected to provide an extremely attractive therapeutic and commercial profile, especially for those patients who are not fully responsive to or compliant with current interventions. Based on preclinical data, we believe that PT00114 is well differentiated from other drug candidates onresearch into brain mechanisms conducted over the basis of having: Dual activity on stress- and addiction-related pathways (as presentlast 15 years in TRD and PTSD); Blood-brain barrier permeability; Rapid onset of action and long duration of therapeutic effects; Restoration of normalcy in stress, anxiety and addiction disorders; No adverse effects with little to no accumulation; Good safety and tolerability profiles; Convenient dosing route and schedule; High potency/low dose; and, Ease of chemical synthesis.

We believe that optimal cellular energy metabolism is fundamental to the biologylaboratory of the brain, and clinical manifestationcompany’s scientific founder, Dr. David Lovejoy, from the University of aberrant energy metabolism often manifests in debilitating neurological disorders. PT00114’s ability in preclinical models to enhance glucose mobilization and utilization in the brain, maintain energy homeostasis, inhibit stress-related pathways and protect cells from oxidative damage suggests potential therapeutic benefits in a range of indications involving both acute and chronic neurological injury. Potential applications include traumatic brain injury, stroke recovery, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and ALS, among others.

Technology

PT00114 is a synthetic form of the natural peptide sequence TCAP-1.

TCAP-1Toronto. TCAP was discovered in a genome-wide search for proteins related to corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), a keyan endogenous brain peptide known to be the central mechanism coupling external stress to psychological, behavioral, and endocrine responses. Dr. Lovejoy and his colleagues discovered and characterized Teneurin Carboxy-terminal Associated Peptide (TCAP); their further work revealed that TCAP is of ancient evolutionary origin and plays a central role in maintaining healthy brain structure and function in the face of the negative effects of stress. Although four TCAP peptides were discovered, only TCAP-1 is expressed independent of a larger Teneurin protein and is the primary focus of our development (PT00114).

TCAP reverses the impact of stress on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, the endocrine and behavioral control system which connects environmental stress to behavioral responses via brain levels of Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF) and blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Stress elevates CRF, which in stress response. While TCAP-1turn elevates cortisol levels. Studies have demonstrated that TCAP counteracts stress, it does so bythe effects of either endogenous or pharmacologically-administered CRF via a non-CRF receptor pathway and unlike direct CRF antagonists it does not exhibitin the brain, that is believed to be evolved over millions of years as a homeostasis-related pathway. There has been strong interest in the pharmaceutical industry for decades to develop drug candidates that block the negative effects of CRF by attempting to directly antagonize the CRF receptor, however clinical results to date with prior CRF receptor antagonists have been disappointing. Because TCAP counteracts the action of CRF by activating separate receptors instead of directly blocking CRF receptors, we believe it is a superior approach to alleviating stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders; TCAP-1 acts by binding to Latrophilin-1 and Latrophilin-3, G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) expressed on nerve cells in animal models studiedthe extended amygdala, the region of the brain involved in memory, emotion, and fear. TCAP acts through these receptors to date.block the effects of CRF and potentially other stress mediators such as Arginine-Vasopressin (AVP). Due to differences in the mechanism of action, TCAP is expected to be efficacious in clinical settings in which earlier studies with CRF receptor antagonists were not. We believe this novel mechanism of action can provide an attractive therapeutic profile for patients who are not fully responsive to currently available therapies.

 

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PT00114 inhibitsTwo key effects of TCAP may contribute to its pharmacological activity in reversing or preventing stress-induced behavioral distortions. In settings of stress and stress (CRF)-induced actionsdepression, the activity of specific neural circuits can be diminished compared to the levels of activity observed in clinically-relevant gold-standard animal models of anxiety, depression and addiction at concentrations several magnitudes below current front-line therapeutics. These beneficial effects are maintained for as long as three weeks after treatment. PT00114 promotes neuronal process development, spine density, axon fasciculation and branching in neurons.

PT00114healthy brain tissue. After administration, TCAP crosses the blood brain barrier and concentrates in regions of the brain associated with the regulation of mood disorders. Preliminary toxicity assessment (non-GLP) indicates no clear or significant adverseAdministered TCAP can lead to increases in activity in some of the neuronal circuitry implicated in depression, demonstrated by increases in the utilization of glucose, a surrogate for cell activity. The fact that the pharmacological effects although further toxicity testingof TCAP persist after the drug has been cleared aligns with findings that TCAP applied to neurons in culture stabilizes dendritic spines, structures that sprout from the surface of neurons and can form synapses with other neurons to create functional circuitry. Stress and the associated rise in CRF have been reported to cause loss of synapses in animal models. The fact that the pharmacological actions of TCAP persist for weeks are consistent with its producing lasting changes in neuronal function by changing patterns of gene expression and thus creating relatively stable changes in neuronal function. In a number of these models, a single subcutaneous dose of TCAP will prevent the behavioral consequences of stress encountered three weeks later. This is required.especially notable since the administered dose of TCAP is eliminated from the plasma within hours of administration.

 

PT00114Our lead compound is highly soluble and shows excellent stabilitya 41-residue peptide synthetic TCAP-1, which we have designated PT00114. In addition, we have a portfolio of earlier stage neuropeptides targeting the TCAP pathway that are in several storage conditions.preclinical evaluation. The initial dosage form is intended as a subcutaneous injection but is also amenable to other routes of administration including sublingually or intra-nasally. This affords a range of target product profiles and opportunities for lifecycle management.

While many of the initial studies of TCAP had been generated in the lab of Dr. David Lovejoy, we have designed several preclinical studies over the last four years to validate the safety and efficacy of PT00114, for which we hired multiple independent contract research organizations (CROs) to conduct these studies. In preclinical rodent models, administration of PT00114 results in reproducible, dose-dependent reversal of a range of stress-induced behavioral distortions, including depression, stress-exacerbated anxiety, excessive startle, drug seeking, and opioid withdrawal. Stress-induced anxiety was measured by an elevated plus maze, an open field with stressed animals, and acoustic startle in CRF-treated animals. Depression was measured by tail suspension and forced swim. Stress-induced changes in tube-restrained rodents were used as a well-validated model for sub-acute stress. Notably, PT00114 was found to be pharmacologically active in stressed rodents but relatively inactive in non-stressed rodents.

In studies conducted with Charles River Laboratories in Kuopio, Finland, PT00114 showed beneficial effects in Chronic Social Defeat, a murine model of stress-induced behavioral dysfunction that has features of depression. In this model, male mice are placed in cages along with older, dominant male mice. This results in progressively more “resigned” behaviors in the mice experiencing this domineering exposure. This results in a series of behaviors in the cowed mice, termed Chronic Social Defeat. PT00114 reverses many of the component behaviors typically measured in this model, suggesting that it reverses the negative effects of stress in the “defeated” animals.

PT00114 demonstrated efficacy in a variable chronic stress model that has features of anxiety and PTSD. In an open field assessment, mice or rats are stressed by being placed in a tube for several hours, then placed in an open box where their movement is observed for 20 minutes. Control animals exhibit stress response behavior by not moving around much and staying near the edges of the box. Animal receiving PT00114 at the end of the stress condition moved around the open field. Animals receiving multiple administrations of a control small molecule CRH antagonist did not venture into the open field, indicating they were stressed. These results are also reflected in blood cortisol levels, where control mice had increased cortisol levels, which were reduced by treatment with PT00114, but not by the small molecule CRF antagonist.

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Stress plays a central role in a broad range of addictions, including alcohol and opioids. The ability of PT00114 to blunt excessive stress may be able to provide non-dependence forming treatment of addictions. A series of studies conducted at Porsolt Laboratories in Lavel France support the potential utility of PT00114 as a treatment to help people defeat opioid addiction. In rats addicted to opioids, administering CRF models environmental stress, causing them to frantically seek opioids. PT00114 reduces the opioid seeking behavior in response to CRF administration. Further studies conducted by Porsolt following EMEA guidelines demonstrated that on its own, PT00114 was not addictive and rats did not develop dependence to the peptide after chronic administration.

 

PT00114 has also demonstrated pre-clinical efficacy in a murine model of opioid withdrawal called the Saleens test. In this test, mice are addicted to opioids and the animals are then administered the opioid antagonist naloxone, which immediately blocks opioid action and triggers profound stress and opioid withdrawal. This manifests as a behavioral stress response with the mice jumping up to six inches into the air over 70 times in a 20-minute observation period. Administering PT00114 at three different time points within the experiment – before the naloxone-driven withdrawal, before the period of opioid addiction, or up to three weeks before the induced withdrawal – results in a reproducible, dose-dependent restoration to non-stressed behavior and reduced jumping. Significantly, this is not accompanied by any evidence of sedation or reduced activity. This effect appears independent of the opioid used as PT00114 ameliorates this withdrawal-triggered jumping stress behavior in mice experiencing withdrawal from both fentanyl and morphine.

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Business plan / Proposed next stepsPreclinical Safety and Toxicology

Preclinical safety data for PT00114 demonstrates a robust profile in both rats and non-human primates. As the mechanism is unique and TCAP is a part of healthy brain signaling, we believe PT00114 will have a differentiated side effect profile relative to existing antidepressant and antipsychotic agents. A key aspect of the TCAP mechanism is that it does not completely block the perception of and responses to stress; it rather protects against stress overload. Some perception of environmental stress and a proportionate response to that stress is adaptive behavior and it is not desirable to completely block stress responses. Unlike benzodiazepines that can cause sedation and are prone to dependence, TCAP prevents the maladaptive response to environmental stress without sedation and without developing dependence.

We have completed non-GLP Dose-Range-Finding (DRF) toxicology studies of PT00114 administered subcutaneously daily for five days in rats and non-human primates. The doses tested were substantially above the anticipated clinical doses and were well tolerated and safe, with no dose-limiting toxicities observed at doses at least 50-fold higher than anticipated clinical exposures. No major changes in hematology or clinical chemistries were seen, including prolactin levels or testosterone levels, changes in which may impact libido. Distinct from SSRI’s, there was no impact on ambulation, sedation or weight gain. Importantly, further studies conducted following EMEA guidelines, demonstrated that on its own PT00114 was not addictive and rats did not develop dependence to the peptide after chronic administration. The in life 28-day GLP toxicology testing in both the rats and non-human primate have been completed. There have been no changes in clinical chemistries or pathology that would prompt a stop in the program and the therapeutic margin if large. The final audited reports are currently being compiled.

 

Process Development and Manufacturing

 

Pursue cGMPWe currently do not own any manufacturing facilities and rely on 3rd party contract manufacturers for synthesis of PT00114. We have sufficient PT00114 synthesized under cGMP conditions to complete GLP toxicology studies and Phase 1 human clinical trials. This material is currently undergoing requisite stability and accelerated stability testing. PT00114 is highly soluble and has shown excellent preliminary stability in several storage conditions, with the material being stable for at least 12 months.

 

Q1 2016-Q2 2017

The initial dosage form developed will be a subcutaneous injection. Because PT00114 is also amenable to other routes of administration including sublingually or intra-nasally, we will be doing preliminary process work to develop these formulations, and anticipate using one of these dosage forms in later stage clinical studies.

 

Preclinical Safety & Toxicology

Conduct preclinical studies for IND readiness

Q2 2016 – Q1 2017

Pursue Strategic Partnership

• 

Secure a collaboration with a pharma/biopharma company with a presence in neurological and psychiatric diseases and/or addiction

Q4 2016-Q4 2018

Strategic Marketing & Clinical/Regulatory Planning

Seek validation of target product profile(s) and clinical trial design(s)

Q4 2016 - Q3 2018

Compile and File IND

Q4 2017 –Q2 2018

Initiate Phase 1 Clinical Studies

Q1 2018 – Q4 2018

Technology License Agreement

 

On July 31, 2005, the Company had entered into a Technology License Agreement (“License Agreement”) with the University of Toronto (the “University” or “UT”) pursuant to which the University agreed to license to the Company patent rights and other intellectual property, among other things (the “Technologies”). The Technology License Agreement was amended on February 18, 2015 and currently does not provide for an2015. Unless terminated, the term of this agreement shall terminate on the expiration date.or invalidity of the last issued Patent in the License Agreement.

 

Pursuant to the License Agreement and its amendment, the Company obtained an exclusive worldwide license to make, have made, use, sell and import products based upon the Technologies, or to sublicense the Technologies in accordance with the terms of the License Agreement and amendment. In consideration, the Company agreed to pay to the University a royalty payment of 2.5% of net sales of any product based on the Technologies. If the Company elects to sublicense any rights under the License Agreement and amendment, the Company agrees to pay to the University 10% of any up-front sub-license fees for any sub-licenses that occurred on or after September 9, 2006, and, on behalf of the sub-licensee, 2.5% of net sales by the sub-licensee of all products based on the Technologies. The Company had no sales revenue for the three monthsyear ended June 30,December 31, 2016 and 2015 and therefore was not subject to paying any royalties.

 

In the event the Company fails to provide the University with semi-annual reports on the progress or fails to continue to make reasonable commercial efforts towards obtaining regulatory approval for products based on the Technologies, the University may convert our exclusive license into a non-exclusive arrangement. Interest on any amounts owed under the License Agreement and amendment will be at 3% per annum. All intellectual property rights resulting from the Technologies or improvements thereon will remain the property of the other inventors and/or Dr. David Lovejoy at the Professor,University, and/or the University, as the case may be. The Company has agreed to pay all out-of- pocket filing, prosecution and maintenance expenses in connection with any patents relating to the Technologies. In the case of infringement upon any patents relating to the Technologies, the Company may elect, at its own expense, to bring a cause of action asserting such infringement. In such a case, after deducting any legal expenses the Company may incur, any settlement proceeds will be subject to the 2.5% royalty payment owed to the University under the License Agreement and amendment.

 

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The patent applications were made in the name of the ProfessorDr. Lovejoy and other inventors, but the Company’s exclusive, worldwide rights to such patent applications are included in the License Agreement and its amendment with the University. The Company maintains exclusive licensing agreements and it currently controls the six intellectual patent properties.

 

Sales and Marketing

 

We currently have no sales, marketing or distribution capabilities. In order to commercially market PT00114 and any product candidates we develop in the future, we would either need to develop an internal sales team and marketing department or collaborate with third parties who have sales and marketing capabilities.

Manufacturing

As we enter the clinic in 2021, we anticipate working with a Market Access expert or consultancy to better understand clinician and payor dynamics in the therapeutic areas we are focused on, so that, as we begin later stage studies, we are working on a deeper commercial assessment in parallel. We currently do not own any manufacturing facilities, nor have done some high level benchmarking of pricing based on the current landscape of approved and available therapies for psychiatric disorders we entered into any agreements with contract manufacturer forare targeting, both in the production of PT00114. Currently we synthesize all the PT00114 we use in our development activities.generics and on-patent realms.

 

Competition

 

The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are highly competitive and characterized by rapidly evolving technology and intense research and development efforts. We expect to compete with companies, including major international pharmaceutical companies, and other institutions that have substantially greater financial, research and development, marketing and sales capabilities and have substantially greater experience in undertaking preclinical and clinical testing of products, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing and selling biopharmaceutical products. We will face competition based on, among other things, product efficacy and safety, the timing and scope of regulatory approvals, product ease of use and price.

 

The major depressive disorder (MDD) patients that do not respond to the current antidepressant medications constitute a separate group of treatment resistant depression (TRD). Despite a large patient population and current treatments that leave much room for improvement, the developmental pipelines are sparse and few novel candidates are in development. The serendipitous discoveries of current drug classes, side effects and lack of efficacy have led to shrinkage or extinction of many pharma or small biotech neuroscience research programs. According to a current Zion Research report, the current global depression drug market was valued at approximately $14.5 billion in 2014, and is expected to generate $16.8 billion by the end of 2020. Slightly smaller but on the rise, according to Global Industry Analysts, Inc., the global market for anti-anxiety medications is expected to be $5.9 billion in 2017. It is in either or both of the TRD and anti-anxiety markets that we intend to launch PT00114.

 

Set forth below is a discussion of competitive factors for each of the current drug classes commercially available for TRD, and the competitive advantages that we believe PT00114 may offer. The basis for our beliefs regarding the competitive advantages that PT00114 may offer over its competitors is our own pre-clinical animal studies. We acknowledge that these beliefs and conclusions about competitive advantages must be regarded as theoretical until such time as we have human clinical data that supports and re-affirms the results seen in the pre-clinical animal studies.

 

Opioid receptor modulators

 

Opioid receptor modulators have the potential to be non-addictive therapeutic drugs for TRD. Competitors include ALKS 5461 (from Alkermes) isTRD but have a fixed combinationhigh likelihood of buprenorphineabuse and samidorphan being developed as a therapy for TRD. Buprenorphine is a mu opioid receptor partial agonist as well as an antagonist of the kappa-opioid receptor (KOR), while samidorphan is an antagonist of mu opioid receptors that essentially works to block the buprenorphine from binding to the mu-receptor. The combination of these mechanisms may result in attenuation of the mu agonist effects of buprenorphine, potentially making this a non-addictive therapy. ALKS 5461 is in phase 3 as a once-daily therapy administered as a sublingual tablet. It is well tolerated and treatment effects were evident after one week of dosing.thus regulatory restrictions. We believe that our competitive advantage is that PT00114 targets a different receptor system therefore it is not likely to have a clinical overlap with opioid receptor modulators.

 

Atypical Antipsychotics with antidepressant effects (dopamine receptor modulators)

 

Brexpiprazole (from(Rexulti from Otsuka) is a dopamine (D2 receptor) partial stimulator (agonist) approved as an oral adjunctive TRD therapy. Its side effects include suicidal risk, weight gain and restlessness. Cariprazine (from Gedeon Richter)(Vraylar from AbbVie) is an oral dopamine D2 and D3 receptor antagonist approved for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in development for TRD. The most common side effects reported were extrapyramidal symptoms, the urge to move (akathisia), indigestion (dyspepsia), vomiting, drowsiness (somnolence) and restlessness. We believe that our competitive advantage is that PT00114, due to its low toxicity profile, will be clinically preferable to these antipsychotic drugs.

 

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Ketamine-like TRD drugsKetamine and Esketamine

 

Drugs that act in a mechanism similar to Ketamine such asand Esketamine (Spratavo nasal spray (fromfrom Johnson and& Johnson) is the S(+) enantiomer of the drug ketamine actsact primarily as a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, but is also a dopamine reuptake inhibitor. As of July 2014, itAlthough ketamine is used off-label and Esketamine was recently approved for TRD, limitations and concerns around use limit uptake in phase II clinical trials for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). This class of candidates is generating a lot of excitement but uncertainty due to their use history will be a compounding factor.broader population. We believe that our competitive advantage is that the toxicity profile is likely to be less favorable when compared with PT00114.

GABA receptor modulators

GABA receptors, when bound by inhibitory neurotransmitters found throughout the brain, act as a brake on nerve activity. Sage Therapeutics is developing multiple compounds that target this mechanism and more candidates are expected to come from this therapeutic class that may present a competitive challenge for PT00114.

 

NMDA receptor modulators

 

The N-methyl-D-aspartate (or “NMDA”) receptor is a molecule that appears on the surface of neurons. When “activated” by a drug that binds with it, the NMDA receptor is a potential natural way to counteract TRD. A drug called GLYX 13, an amidated tetrapeptide (with the amino acid sequence Thr-Pro-Pro-Thr-NH2) is a glycine-site functional partial agonist of the NMDA receptor discovered at Northwestern University, now being developed by Naurex/Allergan, in Phase 3 U.S. clinical trials. It will be administered by intravenous injection and has a rapid onset. Phase 2 results have shown that GLYX 13 treatment reduces depression scores in patients with TRD, with no psychotomimetic side effects common to other NMDA receptor modulators. The major peptide candidate in this group GLYX13 shows a better tolerance profile and even IV dosing once weekly is not a deterrent enough in the clinic so PT00114 peptide with possible subcutaneous delivery would be a much more preferable clinical option. The development of the tetrapeptide and entry into the trials demonstrated room and willingness to accept peptide based therapies in TRD. More candidates are expected to come from this therapeutic class that may present a competitive challenge for PT00114.

 

Another of Naurex’s small molecule candidates, NRX-1074, is an orally active therapy based on GLYX13, in preclinical stages. L-4-Chlorokynurenine, AV-101 (from VistaGen Therapeutics) is a fast acting, orally active small molecule glycine binding site NMDA receptor antagonist. A NIH-funded phase 2 trial in major depressive disorder has been initiated in the US. CERC-301 (Cerecor) is an orally-active, selective NMDA receptor subunit 2B (NR2B) antagonist which is in phase 2 an adjunctive therapy for TRD.

PT00114’s Competitive Advantages/DisadvantagesAdvantages

 

We believeOur preclinical data and the corroborated mechanism of action of PT00114 will be ableindicates its advantages as compared to compete against each of these drugs based on its core advantages:current approved therapies:

 

 

PT00114 once in a patient, hadhas a rapid onset of action (efficacy in animal anxiety and depression models)models as compared with other TRD drugs which may take longer to take effect.

 

 

PT00114’s effects are long lastinglong-lasting and potent (single 1-10 nmole/kg dose lasts up to one week for glucose/insulin blood-based biomarkers)

 

 

PT00114 is rapidly cleared from the patient’s bloodstream (its “half life”“half-life” is 5-10min if given intravenously (IV), 20-30 minutes if given subcutaneously (SC)

 

 

PT00114 naturally crosses the blood brain barrier while certain other TRD drugs do not naturally do that and therefore must be given at higher doses so that any of them make it into the patient’s brain.

 

 

PT00114 is an L-isomer, a naturally modified peptide, (by way of pyroGlu, amidation) therefore liver toxicity istoxicities typically associated with other psychiatric therapies are not anticipated – resulting in a potentially superior toxicity profile

 

 

PT00114 is soluble, it can be easily formulated with clinical excipients, and it is stable when lyophilized form, making it easy to package into a drug pill form.

delivery in an oral or nasal formulation feasible

 

 

PT00114 will be manufactured by standard solid phase chemistry, which is less expensive than manufacturing processes required by other TRD drugs.drugs

Studies have demonstrated that the compound does not caused dependency following multiple administrations

It counteracts the stress effects associated with corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), a mechanism of action not yet known among today’s commercially-available TRD drugs.

It increases glucose import into brain cells, thus it is potentially effective against diabetes associated depression and anxiety disorders

It increases energy metabolism likely by mitochondrial activation in brain cells

The main competitive disadvantage that PT00114 will have relative to other antidepressant drugs is that it will have fewer marketing resources behind it, assuming that the Company consummate a partnership with a large pharmaceutical company during its commercial marketing phase. Beyond this marketing resources disadvantage, the Company acknowledges that PT00114 may have efficacy disadvantages that we are not yet aware of since the drug has not yet been tested in humans. Extrapolating the early results obtained in rodent studies, PT00114 appears to be more effective and with few or no side effects, but this must be treated as an unknown since no human studies have yet been performed, and a new competitive disadvantage could be discovered during the clinical trial phase.

Although we believe PT00114’s advantages will allow it to compete effectively against other antidepressant drugs in the TRD market, many of our competitors and potential competitors have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved products than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller or early stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to our programs or advantageous to our business.

 

Intellectual Property

 

We believe that patents, trademarks, copyrights and other proprietary rights are important to our business. We also rely on trade secrets, know-how, continuing technological innovations and licensing opportunities to develop and maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect our intellectual property rights by a variety of means, including obtaining patents, maintaining trade secrets and proprietary know-how, and technological innovation to operate without infringing on the proprietary rights of others and to prevent others from infringing on our proprietary rights. Our policy is to seek to protect our proprietary position by, among other methods, actively seeking patent protection in the United States and foreign countries.

 

As of October, 2015,December 15, 2020, we have four patents issued by the Governments of the United States, Canada, European Union (validated in Germany, France and Great Britain) and Australia and two patent applications pending worldwide including US.on our original platform technology The patent applications were made in the name of Dr. David A. Lovejoy and inventors, but the Company’s exclusive, worldwide rights to such patent applications are included in the License Agreement with UT.

Our success will depend in part on our ability to maintain our proprietary position through effective patent claims We have three further issued patents and their enforcement against our competitors. Although we believe our8 pending patent applications provide a competitive advantage,in related technology that the patent positions of companies like ours are generally uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions. We do not know whether any of our patent applications will resultcompany has rights in the issuance of any patents. Those patents that may be issued in the future or those acquired by us may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, and the rights granted under any issued patent may not provide us with proprietary protection or competitive advantages against competitors with similar technology. In particular, we do not know if competitors will be able to design variations on our treatment methods to circumvent our current and anticipated patent claims. Furthermore, competitors may independently develop similar technologies or duplicate any technology developed by us. Because of the extensive time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of a potential product, it is possible that, before any of our products can be commercialized or marketed, any related patent claim may expire or remain in force for only a short period following commercialization, thereby reducing the advantage of the patent.own.

 

 

We also rely upon trade secrets, confidentiality agreements, proprietary know-how and continuing technological innovation to remain competitive, especially where we do not believe patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. We continue to seek ways to protect our proprietary technology and trade secrets, including entering into confidentiality or license agreements with our employees and consultants, and controlling access to and distribution of our technologies and other proprietary information. While we use these and other reasonable security measures to protect our trade secrets, our employees or consultants may unintentionally or willfully disclose our proprietary information to competitors.

 

Our commercial success will depend in part on our ability to operate without infringing upon the patents and proprietary rights of third parties. It is uncertain whether the issuance of any third partythird-party patents would require us to alter our products or technology, obtain licenses or cease certain activities. Our failure to obtain a license to technology that we may require to discover, develop or commercialize our future products may have a material adverse impact on us. One or more third-party patents or patent applications may conflict with patent applications to which we have rights. Any such conflict may substantially reduce the coverage of any rights that may issue from the patent applications to which we have rights. If third parties prepare and file patent applications in the United States that also claim technology to which we have rights, we may have to participate in interference proceedings in the USPTO to determine priority of invention.

 

We may collaborate in the future with other entities on research, development and commercialization activities. Disputes may arise about inventorship and corresponding rights in know-how and inventions resulting from the joint creation or use of intellectual property by us and our subsidiaries, collaborators, partners, licensors and consultants. As a result, we may not be able to maintain our proprietary position.

 

We currently control thefollowingAs of December 15, 2020, we own or have rights in the following intellectual property:

 

TENEURIN C-TERMINAL ASSOCIATED PEPTIDES (TCAP) AND METHODS AND USES THEREOF* 
COUNTRY FILED  SERIAL#  ISSUED  PATENT#  STATUS 
AUSTRALIA  05/02/2003   2003221575   09/23/2011   2003221575   ISSUED 
CANADA  05/02/2003   2,482,810   06/10/2014   2,482,810   ISSUED 
EUROPEAN PATENT (Validated in France (FR), Germany (DE) and Great Britain (GB)  05/02/2003   03717086.7   03/12/2014   1499635   ISSUED 
UNITED STATES  11/01/2004   10/510,959  01/03/2012   8,088,889   ISSUED 

A METHOD FOR REGULATING NEURITE GROWTH*
COUNTRYFILEDSERIAL#ISSUEDPATENT#STATUS
UNITED STATES06/19/2012 (Continuation)13/527,41408/01/20179,718,857ISSUED

A METHOD FOR MODULATING INSULIN-INDEPENDENT GLUCOSE TRANSPORT USING TENEURIN C-TERMINAL ASSOCIATED PEPTIDE (TCAP)*

 
COUNTRY FILED  SERIAL#  ISSUED  PATENT#  STATUS 
CANADA  07/21/2015   2,955,410           PENDING 
GREAT BRITAIN  07/21/2015   1702638.6   07/21/2020   2543996   ISSUED 
UNITED STATES  01/17/2017   15/326,735  04/14/2020   10,617,736   ISSUED 

53

COMPOSITIONS, METHODS AND USES FOR ENHANCING MUSCLE FUNCTION*
COUNTRYFILEDSERIAL#ISSUEDPATENT#STATUS
US03/25/201916/336,334               

Title

 

Country

PENDING
CA 

Status

09/26/2017 

Issue Date

1. Teneurin C-Terminal

Associated Peptides (TCAP) and

Methods and uses thereof.

Serial # 10/510,959

 

United States

3,038,169

Patent

issued

01/03/2012

       

2. Teneurin C-Terminal

Associated Peptides (TCAP) and

Methods and uses thereof.

Serial # 2003221575.

 

Australia

 

PatentPENDING

issued

COMPOSITIONS, METHODS AND USES FOR TREATING POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER *
COUNTRY 

09/23/2011

FILED
SERIAL#ISSUEDPATENT#STATUS
UNITED STATES04/10/202016/755,372               

3. Teneurin C-Terminal

Associated Peptides (TCAP) and

Methods and uses thereof.

Serial # 2,482,810.

 

Canada

PENDING
CANADA 

Patent

issued

04/14/2020 

06/10/2014

3,079,724       

4. Teneurin C-Terminal

Associated Peptides (TCAP) and

Methods and uses thereof.

Serial # 03717086.7

 

European Union.

Validated in France,

Germany and Great Britain.

 

PatentPENDING

issued

COMPOSITIONS, METHODS AND USES OF A TENEURIN C-TERMINAL ASSOCIATED PEPTIDE-1 (TCAP-1) FOR TREATING OPIOID ADDICTION
COUNTRY 

03/12/2014

FILED
SERIAL#ISSUEDPATENT#STATUS
CANADA09/11/20203,093,841       

5. A Method for Regulating

Neurite Growth: Application.

Serial # 60/783,821

 

United States

 

Pending

PENDING
UNITED STATES 

Filed: 03/21/2006

16/980,176              

6. Method for Modulating

Glucose Transport Using

Teneurin C-Terminal Associated

Peptide (TCAP). Serial #

62/026,346

 

United States

PENDING
EUROPE 

Pending

10/12/2020 

N/A

19712494.4PENDING

 

In the future we may file additional patent applications based on proprietary formulations and novel compounds.compounds in the TCAP family.

 

Governmental RegulationCOVID-19

 

Our technologiesOn March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) declared the Covid-19 outbreak to be a global pandemic. In addition to the devastating effects on human life, the pandemic is having a negative ripple effect on the global economy, leading to disruptions and volatility in the global financial markets. Most U.S. states and many countries have issued policies intended to stop or slow the further spread of the disease. Covid-19 and the U.S. response to the pandemic are significantly affecting the economy. There are no comparable events that provide guidance as to the effect the Covid-19 pandemic may have, and, as a result, the ultimate effect of the pandemic is highly uncertain and subject to extensive government regulation, principally by FDA and state and local authorities inchange. We do not yet know the United States and by comparable agencies in foreign countries. Governmental authorities infull extent of the United States extensively regulateeffects on the preclinical and clinical testing, safety, efficacy, research, development, manufacturing, labeling, storage, record-keeping, advertising, promotion, export, marketing and distribution, among other things, of pharmaceutical products under various federal laws includingeconomy, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act,markets we serve, our business, or FFDCA, and under comparable laws by the states and in most foreign countries.our operations.

Properties

 

The Company has not commenced its FDA approval application process, and does not plan to launch the FDA application process until 2022 or 2023. We cannot commence the FDA application process until we have obtained clinical human data on PT00114 in three phases of trials, none of which have been initiated. Similarly, thecurrently own any real property. The Company will be required to obtain regulatory approval in every country or region outside the United States into which it plans to sellleases office space for its drug products. We may seek approval from authorities outside the United States such as the European Union CE Mark and Japanese Ministry of Health. To date, the Company has not launched the approval application process for any region in the world because of its lack of clinical human data on PT00114.

principal executive office located at 149 Fifth Avenue, Suite 500, New York, New York 10010.

Domestic Regulation

Legal Proceedings

 

In the United States, the FDA, under the FFDCA, the Public Health Service Act and other federal statutes and regulations, subject pharmaceutical and biologic productsFrom time to rigorous review. If we do not comply with applicable requirements,time we may be fined, the government may refuse to approve our marketing applications or allow us to manufacture or market our products or product candidates, and we may be criminally prosecuted. The FDA also has the authority to discontinue or suspend manufacture or distribution, require a product withdrawal or recall or revoke previously granted marketing authorizations, if we fail to comply with regulatory standards or if we encounter problems following initial marketing.

FDA Approval Process

To obtain approval of a new product from the FDA, we must, among other requirements, submit data demonstrating the product’s safety and efficacy as well as detailed information on the manufacture and composition of the product candidate. In most cases, this entails extensive laboratory tests and preclinical and clinical trials. This testing and the preparation of necessary applications and processing of those applications by the FDA are expensive and typically take many years to complete. The FDA may deny our applications or may not act quickly or favorablynamed in reviewing these applications, and we may encounter significant difficulties or costs in our efforts to obtain FDA approvals that could delay or preclude us from marketing any products we may develop. The FDA also may require post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the effects of approved products or place conditions on any approvals that could restrict the commercial applications of these products. Regulatory authorities may withdraw product approvals if we fail to comply with regulatory standards or if we encounter problems following initial marketing. With respect to patented products or technologies, delays imposed by the governmental approval process may materially reduce the period during which we will have the exclusive right to exploit the products or technologies.

The process required by the FDA before a new drug or biologic may be marketedclaims arising in the United States generally involvesordinary course of business. Currently, no legal proceedings, government actions, administrative actions, investigations or claims are pending against us or involve us that, in the following:

completion of preclinical laboratory tests or trials and formulation studies;

submission to the FDA of an IND for a new drug or biologic, which must be accepted by FDA before human clinical trials may begin;

performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed drug or biologic for its intended use; and,

submission and approval of a New Drug Application, or NDA, for a drug, or a Biologic License Application, or BLA, for a biologic.

Preclinical tests include laboratory evaluation of product chemistry formulation and stability, as well as studies to evaluate toxicity. The results of preclinicaltesting, together with manufacturing information and analytical data, are submitted to the FDA as part of an IND application. The FDA requires a 30-day waiting period after the filing of each IND application before clinical trials may begin, in order to ensure that human research subjects will not be exposed to unreasonable health risks. At any time during this 30-day period or at any time thereafter, the FDA may halt proposed or ongoing clinical trials, or may authorize trials only on specified terms. The IND application process may become extremely costly and substantially delay developmentopinion of our products. Moreover, positive results of preclinical tests will not necessarily indicate positive results in clinical trials.

The sponsor typically conducts human clinical trials in three sequential phases, which may overlap. These phases generally include the following:

Phase I: The product is usually first introduced into healthy humans or, on occasion, into patients, and is tested for safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, distribution, excretion and metabolism.

Phase II: The product is introduced into a limited patient population to:

assess its efficacy in specific, targeted indications;

assess dosage tolerance and optimal dosage; and

identify possible adverse effects and safety risks.

Phase III: These are commonly referred to as pivotal studies. If a product is foundmanagement, could reasonably be expected to have an acceptable safety profilea material adverse effect on our business and to be potentially effective in Phase II clinical trials, new clinical trials will be initiated to further demonstrate clinical efficacy, optimal dosage and safety within an expanded and diverse patient population at geographically-dispersed clinical study sites.

If the FDA does ultimately approve the product, it may require post-marketing testing, including potentially expensive Phase IV studies, to monitor its safety and effectiveness.

Clinical trials must meet requirements for Institutional Review Board, or IRB, oversight, informed consent and the FDA’s Good Clinical Practices. Prior to commencement of each clinical trial, the sponsor must submit to the FDA a clinical plan, or protocol, accompanied by the approval of the committee responsible for overseeing clinical trials at one of the clinical trial sites. The FDA and the IRB at each institution at which a clinical trial is being performed may order the temporary or permanent discontinuation of a clinical trial at any time if it believes that the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with FDA requirements or presents an unacceptable risk to the clinical trial patients.

The sponsor must submit to the FDA the results of the preclinical and clinical trials, together with, among other things, detailed information on the manufacturing and composition of the product, in the form of an NDA, or, in the case of a biologic, a BLA. Once the submission has been accepted for filing, the FDA has 180 days to review the application and respond to the applicant. The review process is often significantly extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification. The FDA may refer the BLA to an advisory committee for review, evaluation and recommendation as to whether the application should be approved, but the FDA is not bound by the recommendation of an advisory committee.

It is possible that our product candidates will not successfully proceed through this approval process or that the FDA will not approve them in any specific period of time, or at all. The FDA may deny or delay approval of applications that do not meet applicable regulatory criteria, or if the FDA determines that the clinical data do not adequately establish the safety and efficacy of the product. Satisfaction of FDA pre-market approval requirements for a new biologic is a process that may take several years and the actual time required may vary substantially based upon the type, complexity and novelty of the product or disease. The FDA reviews these applications and, when and if it decides that adequate data are available to show that the product is both safe and effective and that other applicable requirements have been met, approves the drug or biologic for marketing. Government regulation may delay or prevent marketing of potential products for a considerable period of time and impose costly procedures upon our activities. Success in early stage clinical trials does not assure success in later stage clinical trials. Data obtained from clinical activities is not always conclusive and may be susceptible to varying interpretations that could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. Upon approval, a product candidate may be marketed only for those indications approved in the BLA or NDA and may be subject to labeling and promotional requirements or limitations, including warnings, precautions, contraindications and use limitations, which could materially impact profitability. Once approved, the FDA may withdraw the product approval if compliance with pre- and post-market regulatory standards is not maintained or if safety, efficacy or other problems occur after the product reaches the marketplace.

The FDA may, during its review of an NDA or BLA, ask for additional test data. If the FDA does ultimately approve the product, it may require post-marketing testing, including potentially expensive Phase IV studies, to monitor the safety and effectiveness of the product. Inaddition, the FDA may, in some circumstances, impose restrictions on the use of the product, which may be difficult and expensive to administer and may require prior approval of promotional materials.

We have not yet begun the preparation of our IND application to begin Phase I clinical trials. We anticipate doing so in 2018. We also have not begun to prepare our application for FDA approval which we anticipate will be in 2022 or 2023. The process of collecting the clinical data needed to complete our IND application is the focus of all of our working capital, and is expected to consume all of our available capital resources over the next two years. The expenditures necessary to make progress along our IND program are expected to keep our operations in a cash flow negative state for the entire period from now until and after our IND application in 2018. To maintain our liquidity, we will have to receive an influx of cash from a non-revenue source in mid-2018, from either an up-front payment from a large pharmaceutical partner or an equity financing.

Ongoing FDA Requirements

Before approving an NDA or BLA, the FDA will inspect the facilities at which the product is manufactured and will not approve the product unless the manufacturing facilities are in compliance with the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP, requirements which govern the manufacture, holding and distribution of a product. Manufacturers of biologics also must comply with the FDA’s generalbiological product standards. Following approval, the FDA periodically inspects drug and biologic manufacturing facilities to ensure continued compliance with the cGMP requirements. Manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the areas of production, quality control, record keeping and reporting to ensure full compliance with those requirements. Failure to comply with these requirements subjects the manufacturer to possible legal or regulatory action, such as suspension of manufacturing, seizure of product, voluntary recall of product, withdrawal of marketing approval or civil or criminal penalties. Adverse experiences with the product must be reported to the FDA and could result in the imposition of marketing restrictions through labeling changes or market removal. Product approvals may be withdrawn if compliance with regulatory requirements is not maintained or if problems concerning safety or efficacy of the product occur following approval.

The labeling, advertising, promotion, marketing and distribution of a drug or biologic product also must be in compliance with FDA and FTC requirements which include, among others, standards and regulations for direct-to-consumer advertising, industry-sponsored scientific andeducational activities, and promotional activities involving the internet. The FDA and FTC have very broad enforcement authority, and failure to abide by these regulations can result in penalties, including the issuance of a Warning Letter directing the company to correct deviations from regulatory standards, a requirement that future advertising and promotional materials be pre-cleared by the FDA and enforcement actions that can include seizures, injunctions and criminal prosecution.

Manufacturers are also subject to various laws and regulations governing laboratory practices, the experimental use of animals and the use and disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances in connection with their research. In each of the above areas, the FDA has broad regulatory and enforcement powers, including the ability to levy fines and civil penalties, suspend or delay issuance of approvals, seize or recall products and deny or withdraw approvals.

HIPAA Requirements

Other federal legislation may affect our ability to obtain certain health information in conjunction with our research activities. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, mandates, among other things, the adoption of standards designed to safeguard the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information. In relevant part, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, has released two rules to date mandating the use of new standards with respect to such health information. The first rule imposes new standards relating to the privacy of individually identifiable health information. These standards restrict the manner and circumstances under which covered entities may use and disclose protected health information so as to protect the privacy of that information. The second rule released by HHS establishes minimum standards for the security of electronic health information. While we do not believe we are directly regulated as a covered entity under HIPAA, the HIPAA standards impose requirements on covered entities conducting research activities regarding the use and disclosure of individually identifiable health information collected in the course of conducting the research. As a result, unless they meet these HIPAA requirements, covered entities conducting clinical trials for us may not be able to share with us any results from clinical trials that include such health information.

In addition to the statutes and regulations described above, we are also subject to regulation under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the EnvironmentalProtection Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and other present and potential future federal, state and local regulations.

Research and Development

Our research and development efforts with respect to the formulations of PT00114 as our first potential product are exclusively conducted under premises of UT, Ontario, Canada. Much of our scientific research and discovery work is performed by Dr. David A. Lovejoy, our Chief Science Advisor and Dr. Dalia Barsyte, our Chief Technology Officer. These activities are funded by us under our Sponsored Research agreements with UT. We intend in the future to raise capital in distinct phases, matched to relevant scientific developments. The Company has financed completion of its preclinical proof of principle studies and the solidification of its intellectual property position through private offerings of its securities. In addition, theproceeds of bridge loans from the Company’s Chairman were used to fund research, development and the general operating activities of the Company. We anticipate that we will require additional financing through IND-enabling studies, and to support entry into clinical proof-of-concept studies in Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) and/or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As we develop new product candidates, we may be required to conduct additional scientific, preclinical and as well as clinical studies. We currently have no commitments to provide us with any such additional funding.

We incurred approximately $170,575 and $67,270 for research and development activities for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively and $537,662 and $265,238 for these activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. These expenses include cash and non-cash expenses relating to the development of our programs for PT00114.

The Company derives income from scientific research and experimental development tax credits/and or refunds issued by the Canada Revenue Agency for qualified expenditures. The credits are recognized when the refund is issued. The amounts received are reinvested into the Company’s scientific research, experimental development and operational works conducted in Canada.financial condition.

 

Subsidiary

 

Protagenic Therapeutics Canada (2006) Inc. (“PTI Canada”) was incorporated in 2006 in the Province on Ontario, Canada. PTI Canada is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Protagenic. It provides operational support and assistance for the implementation of corporate and operational activities conducted in Canada. It also oversees and supports research and development activities conducted under auspices of UT. PTI Canada has three directors: Garo H. Armen (Chairman), Alexander K. Arrow and Vigen Nazarian. PTI Canada also has one part-time consultant, Robert Ziroyan. PTI Canada also benefits through tax incentive programs provided by the governments of Canada and the Province of Ontario. We derived incomecredits from Canadian research and development tax credits for the years ended December 31, 20152020 and 20142019 of $8,181$16,830 and $78,366,$23,014, respectively. We did not receive any Canadian tax credits during the six-month period ending June 30, 2016. We did receive a CA$74,081 Canadian tax rebate on July 28, 2016.

 

Employees

 

We currently have threetwo part-time employees. We also engage consultants and temporary employees from time to time to provide services that relate to our research and development activities as well as for general administrative and accounting services. We believe that our current personnel are capable of meeting our operating requirements in the near term. We expect that as our business grows we may hire additional personnel to handle the increased demands on our operations, preclinical and clinical activities.

 

CorporateHistory

We were originally incorporated as a Delaware corporation under the name Millbrook Acquisition Corp. in 1994. In 2007, Millbrook Acquisition Corp. changed its name to New Motion, Inc. In 2008, New Motion, Inc. merged with Traffix, Inc., pursuant to which Traffix, Inc. became wholly-owned subsidiary of New Motion, Inc. In 2009, New Motion, Inc. changed its name to Atrinsic,Inc. On June 15, 2012, we filed Chapter 11 in the United States Bankruptcy Court in Southern District of New York (Case No. 12-12553). As of that date, we terminated all remaining employees and ceased normal business operations.

Prior to March 30, 2012, the Company was a reporting company under the Exchange Act, and filed periodic reports with the SEC. On March 30, 2012, we filed a Form 15 with the SEC, terminating our obligation to file periodic reports under Sections 13 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Prior to the filing of our Plan of Reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code on June 15, 2012 (the “Plan of Reorganization”), we were a marketer of direct-to-consumer subscription products and an Internet search marketing agency. We sold entertainment and lifestyle subscription products directly to consumers, which we marketed through the Internet. We also sold Internet marketing services to our corporate and advertising clients.

We emerged from Chapter 11 on June 26, 2013, at which time the Plan of Reorganization was conditionally confirmed by the United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York. The confirmation was subject to the consummation of the Company’s acquisition of a 51% controlling interest in MomSpot LLC (“MomSpot”), which was subsequently completed on July 12, 2013 (“Emergence Date”). MomSpot’s goal is to be the premier specialty retail affiliate marketing company targeting women between the ages of 24 and 45 who are either mothers or expecting their first child. The Emergence Date was the date the Company adopted fresh start accounting in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 852. The adoption of fresh-start accounting resulted in the Company becoming a new entity for financial reporting purposes. At that time, our principle activities were conducted through MomSpot.

Since the fourth quarter of the 2015 fiscal year, MomSpot’s development plans has been suspended pending receipt of incremental funding. On February 12, 2016, the Company sold its 51% interest of MomSpot to the remaining 49% interest holder through a split off agreement. Additionally, on February 12, 2016, the Company sold its equity interests in 29 wholly-owned subsidiaries.

Also on February 12, 2016,the Company entered into a Merger and completed the first closing in our private placement financing and at which time we entered into the field of neurologic drug development.

On June 17, 2016, we merged our wholly-owned subsidiary Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. with and into the Company and we changed our name from Atrinsic, Inc. to Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. We are the parent company of Protagenic Therapeutics Canada (2006), Inc., corporation incorporated in the Province of Ontario.

Our principal offices are located at 149 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010. Our web address is www.protagenic.com. Information contained in or accessible through our web site is not, and should not be deemed to be, part of this prospectus.  

54

 

Facilities

Our principal offices are located at 149 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010. We currently utilize our principal offices at no cost through an arrangement with Agenus Inc. Dr. Armen, our Executive Chairman, is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Agenus Inc.

Legal Matters

From time to time we may be named in claims arising in the ordinary course of business. Currently, no legal proceedings, government actions, administrative actions, investigations or claims are pending against us or involve us that, in the opinion of our management, could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

We anticipate that we will expend significant financial and managerial resources in the defense of our intellectual property rights in the future if we believe that our rights have been violated. We also anticipate that we will expend significant financial and managerial resources to defend against claims that our products and services infringe upon the intellectual property rights of third parties.

MANAGEMENTAND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

The following sets forth certain information with respect to our executive officers and directors.

 

Name

 

Age

 

Position(s)

Garo H. Armen

 

63

68
 

Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors

Alexander K. Arrow

 

45

50
 

Chief Financial Officer

Robert B. Stein

 

65

70
 

Director,

Chief Medical Officer

Khalil Barrage

Andrew Slee
 

51

71
 

Director

Chief Operating Officer

Gregory H. Ekizian

Khalil Barrage
 

53

56
 

Director

Josh Silverman

 

46

51
 

Director

Brian Corvese63Director
Jennifer Buell46Director

 

Garo H. Armen, PhD, Executive Chairman, is one of our founders and joined us in September 2004. Garo H.Dr. Armen is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Agenus Inc., a biotechnology company he co-founded in 1994. From mid-2002 through 2004, he also served as Chairman of the Board of directors of the biopharmaceutical company Elan Corporation, plc, which he successfully restructured. Prior to Agenus Inc., Dr. Armen established Armen Partners, a money management firm specializing in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and was the architect of the widely publicized creation of the Immunex Lederle oncology business in 1993. Earlier, he was a senior vice president of research at Dean Witter Reynolds, having begun his career on Wall Street as an analyst and investment banker at EF Hutton. In 2002, Dr. Armen founded the Children of Armenia Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to significantly rebuilding and revitalizing impoverished rural Armenian towns to provide immediate and sustainable benefits to children and youth. He received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2004 for his humanitarian efforts, and received the Sabin Humanitarian Award from the Sabin Vaccine Institute in 2006 for his achievements in biotechnology and progressing medical research. Dr. Armen was also the Ernst & Young 2002 New York City Biotechnology Entrepreneur of the Year, and received a Wings of Hope Award in 2005 from The Melanoma Research Foundation for his ongoing commitment to the melanoma community. Dr. Armen received a PhD in physical chemistry from the Graduate Center, City University of New York, after which he worked as a research fellow at Brookhaven National Laboratories in Long Island, NY.

 

Alexander K. Arrow, M.D.,MD, CFA –Chief Financial Officer. Dr. Arrow joined us asbecame our Chief Financial Officer upon the closing of the Merger.in February 2016. Dr. Arrow is and will continue to serve as the Chief Executive officerFinancial Officer of Carlsmed, Inc, a spinal implant manufacturer whose mission is to improve outcomes and decrease the cost of healthcare for complex spine surgery and beyond. He serves on the Boards of Zelegent, Inc., supplier of a clinical-stage start-up medical device company preparing to launch the a minimally invasiveminimally-invasive snoring cessation surgical tool. From January 2015 through the closingalleviation tool, and Paragonix Technologies, supplier of the Merger,leading solid organ transportation device. Previously, Dr. Arrow also served as a director and acting Chief Operating Officer of Neumedicines, Inc., a clinical-stage private biotechnology company developing protein therapeutics that address unmet clinical and societal needs in Oncology, Hematology and Immunology. Dr. Arrow servesImmunology, and as a director of BioLx, Inc., a start-up developing an advanced surgical mask capable of protecting its user from more viral particles and other airborne contaminants than conventional masks do, and Rindex Medical, Inc., a developmental-stage company (30% owned by the Cleveland Clinic) which is developing a diagnostic technology for use in cardiovascular intensive care units. Previously, Dr. Arrow served on the board and was theas Chairman of both the Audit Committee and Compensation CommitteeCommittees of Biolase, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIOL) from July 2010 through February 2014, and servedas well as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Biolase, Inc. from June 2013 through December 2014.Officer. Biolase, Inc. is a medical device manufacturer and the leading providermanufacturer of lasers to the global dentistry industry. From July 2012 to June 2013 Dr. Arrowdental lasers. Before Biolase, he was the Chief Medical and Strategic Officer of Circuit Therapeutics, Inc., a company seeking to realize commercial potential in the field of optogenetics. From December 2007 through June 2012, Dr. Arrow was the Chief Financial Officer of Arstasis, Inc., a cardiology device manufacturer. From 2002 to 2007, Dr. Arrowhe headed medical technology equity research at the global investment bank Lazard Capital markets, LLC, providing research coverage on a wide variety of medical device manufacturers.LLC. Dr. Arrow also spent two years 1999-2001 as Chief Financial Officer of the Patent & License Exchange, later renamed PLX Systems, Inc., and three years as the publishing life sciences research analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities. In 1996, Dr. Arrow was a surgical resident at the UCLA Medical Center. Dr. ArrowHe received his CFA in 1999. He was awarded an M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1996 and a B.A. in Biophysics,magna cum laude, from Cornell University in 1992.

Robert B. Stein, PhD. MD, Director, Chief Medical Officer, joined us effective the closing of the Merger in February, 2016. Dr. Robert B. Stein retired as President of R&D at Agenus Inc. in April 2017. He continues as Senior Advisor, R&D for both Agenus, Inc. and its cell therapy subsidiary AgenTus. Dr. Robert B. Stein lead Agenus’ Research, Preclinical Development and Translational Medicine functions. He helps shape clinical development strategy for vaccines and adjuvants. Additionally, he lead integration of the 4-Antibody, PhosImmune, and Xoma Pilot Plant acquisitions, which includes the company’s fully human antibody drug discovery and optimization technology platform, and portfolio of immune checkpoint antibody programs. Over his 35 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry he played a pivotal role in bringing to the market Sustiva®, Fablyn®, Viviant®, PanRetin®, TargRetin®, Promacta® and Eliquis®. Prior to joining Agenus, he held executive management positions at Ligand Pharmaceuticals, DuPont Merck, Incyte Pharmaceuticals, Roche Palo Alto and KineMed. Dr. Stein began his career at Merck, Sharp and Dohme. He holds an MD and a PhD in Physiology & Pharmacology from Duke University. Dr. Stein filed a personal voluntary bankruptcy petition under Chapter 7 in August of 2012 and the bankruptcy was discharged in May 2013.

 

Andrew Slee, PhD, Chief Operating Officer. Dr. Andy Slee joined us in April 2016. During his 37-year pharmaceutical career, Mr. Slee has taken several drugs from inception through all their pre-clinical and early clinical testing. During the past 37 years, he has worked for Preclinical CROs, immune-oncology companies and natural product companies focusing on anti-infectives, cancer, CNS, diabetes and inflammatory diseases. Spreading his influence beyond a single company, he created and ran his own Contract Research Organization (CRO), VivoSource Laboratories, which for ten years from 2003 to 2013 provided preclinical proof of concept catering to biopharmaceutical companies. For the 18 years before that, Dr. Slee shepherded multiple pharma targets in several therapeutic areas from inception onward at DuPont Pharmaceuticals. He is a graduate of Syracuse University and Leeds University.

 

Khalil Barrage, Director, joined us in July, 2007. Mr. Khalil Barrage has served as a Managing Director of The Invus Group, LLC since 2003, in charge of the Public Equities Group that he set up in September 2003. Invus manages over $3B of capital, with a primary focus is on private equity investments, biotechnology and health care. In addition, Invus manages a fund-of-funds liquid alternative investment and, most recently, the newly established public equities portfolio activity. Mr. Barrage is a value investor. He started his career in 1988 with The Olayan Group, a multibillion private group. He was in charge of the group’s US public equities portfolio, overseeing more than $2 billion of assets. Mr. Barrage holds a BA from American University of Beirut.

 

Robert B. Stein, PhD. MD,Brian J. Corvese, Director, joined us effectiveon July 28, 2017, filling the closingopen board seat vacated by Gregory H. Ekizian. Since 1999, Mr. Corvese has been the President and Founder of Vencor Capital (“Vencor”), a private equity firm with telecommunications and technology investments in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions. Prior to working at Vencor, Mr. Corvese worked on investments in the U.S. and global equity markets as a Managing Director and partner at Soros Fund Management, the largest hedge fund in the world at the time. From 1988 to 1996, Mr. Corvese was a partner at Chancellor Capital Management (“Chancellor”), a $25 billion money management firm. While at Chancellor, Mr. Corvese was a Portfolio Manager with responsibility for investments made in basic industries, restructurings, and special situations, corporate governance investments, as well as founded and managed his own hedge fund. From 1981 to 1988, Mr. Corvese was with Drexel Burnham Lambert (“Drexel”) as an equity analyst following the chemical and specialty chemical industries and participated in a significant number of merger and acquisition activities. While at Drexel, Mr. Corvese was a member of the Merger in February, 2016. Dr. Robert B. Stein is Chief Scientific Officertop chemical and specialty chemical research team, as ranked by Institutional Investor. Mr. Corvese currently serves on the board of directors of Agenus Inc. Dr. Robert B. Stein leads Agenus’ Research, Preclinical Development and Translational Medicine functions. He helps shape clinical development strategy for vaccinesthe National Telecommunications Corporation, based in Cairo, Egypt. Mr. Corvese earned degrees in finance and adjuvants. Additionally, he’s leading integrationpolitical science from The University of the 4-Antibody acquisition, which includes the company’s fully human antibody drug discoveryRhode Island and optimization technology platform, and portfolio of immune checkpoint antibody programs. Over hisattended New York University Graduate School. With over 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceuticalfinancial industry, he played a pivotal role in bringingMr. Corvese brings substantial financial expertise to the market Sustivaour Board.®, Fablyn®, Viviant®, PanRetin®, TargRetin®, Promacta® and Eliquis®. Prior to joining Agenus, he held executive management positions at Ligand Pharmaceuticals, DuPont Merck, Incyte Pharmaceuticals, Roche Palo Alto and KineMed. Dr. Stein began his career at Merck, Sharp and Dohme. He holds an MD and a PhD in Physiology & Pharmacology from Duke University. Dr. Stein filed a personal voluntary bankruptcy petition under Chapter 7 in August of 2012 and the bankruptcy was discharged in May 2013.

Gregory H. Ekizian, CFA – Director, joined us effective the closing of the Merger in February, 2016. Mr. Ekizian is presently a private investor. From 2012 to 2014 Mr. Ekizian was associated with Victory Capital Management, serving as the Chief Investment Officer and Lead Portfolio Manager for the Victory Dividend Growth Fund, a strategy which was managed for conservative growth and income across mutual fund and separate accounts. Prior to Victory, he was a private investor from 2009 through 2012. From 1997 through 2009 Mr. Ekizian was the co-leader of the Growth team at Goldman Sachs Asset Management where he served as a Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager. Over his tenure at GSAM, the Growth team grew assets from $2.2 billion to a peak of $29 billion across multiple Growth products. Prior to his service with GSAM, Mr. Ekizian was a principal member in the start-up of Liberty Investment Management in 1994, and as a Senior Portfolio Manager, remained with the firm through its acquisition by Goldman Sachs in 1997. Mr. Ekizian started his investment management career in 1990 at Eagle Asset Management as an analyst covering health care, media, staples and consumer discretionary industries. Mr. Ekizian received a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Lehigh University and MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and is a CFA Charterholder.

 

Joshua Silverman, Director, joined us effective the closing of the Merger in February 2016. Mr. Silverman iscurrently serves as the Co–founder and Managing Membermanaging member of Parkfield Funding LLC,LLC. Mr. Silverman was the co-founder, and is a former Principalprincipal and Managing Partnermanaging partner of Iroquois Capital Management, LLC.LLC (“Iroquois”), an investment advisory firm. Since its inception in 2003 until July 2016, Mr. Silverman served as Co–Chief Investment Officerco-chief investment officer of Iroquois. While at Iroquois, from 2003 until July 2016.he designed and executed complex transactions, structuring and negotiating investments in both public and private companies and has often been called upon by the companies solve inefficiencies as they relate to corporate structure, cash flow, and management. From 2000 to 2003, Mr. Silverman served as Co–Chief Investment Officerco-chief investment officer of Vertical Ventures, LLC, a merchant bank. Prior to forming Iroquois, Mr. Silverman was a Directordirector of Joele Frank, a boutique consulting firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Previously, Mr. Silverman served as Assistant Press Secretaryassistant press secretary to The Presidentthe president of Thethe United States. Mr. Silverman currently serves as a director of Akers Biosciences, Inc., AYRO, Inc., Protagenic Therapeutics, Petros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Synaptogenix, Inc. all of which are public companies. He previously served as a director of National Holdings Corporation from July 2014 through August 2016 and as a director of Marker Therapeutics, Inc. from August 2016 until October 2018. Mr. Silverman received his B.A. from Lehigh University in 1992. In

Jennifer Buell, PhD, Director, joined our board in July, 2020. Dr. Buell is the past five years, Mr. SilvermanPresident and Chief Operating Officer of Agenus, Inc., where she has previously served as served as the Head of Global R&D operations, Head of Research, and Chief Communications and External Affairs Officer. With 20 years of biopharmaceutical R&D experience, Dr. Buell has extensive knowledge in advancing discovery candidates through development and experience communicating with external stakeholders including regulators, investors, and collaborators. She has a directorproven record of MGT Capital Investments, Inc.success in R&D leadership, most recently at Agenus, where she led high performing teams in advancing candidates into the clinic and National Holdings Corporation.delivered on key alliance collaborations. Prior to joining Agenus, Dr. Buell held leadership positions in R&D operations at Bristol-Myers Squibb and later was responsible for Program and Alliance Management at Harvard Clinical Research Institute (Baim), where she was involved in the development strategy and operations for a portfolio of industry and government sponsored clinical programs. Dr. Buell obtained her PhD in Cellular, Biochemical, and Molecular Biochemistry with an MS in Biostatistics from Tufts University.

 

56

Consultants and Advisors

 

Dalia Barsyte PhD, Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Dalia Barsyte received her PhD in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Manchester, UK. Her postdoctoral training at the University of Manchester and Ontario Cancer Institute, Canada focused on characterizing cellular signaling mechanisms. Dr. Barsyte is an inventor on one of the key Protagenic patents and author of over 50 scientific publications in oncology and neuroscience. Dr. Barsyte’s scientific interests include exploring chemical biology in therapeutic target validation through peptide or small molecule chemical probe compounds as well as novel in vitro models of disease based on patient derived cell culture.

David A. Lovejoy, PhD, Chief Scientific Advisor, is one of our founders and joined us in September 2004. He holds a PhD in Neuroendocrinology from the University of Victoria (Victoria, BC) and spent three years at the Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology at the Salk Institute (San Diego, CA) as a postdoctoral fellow. Dr. Lovejoy took his first academic appointment at the University of Manchester (Manchester, UK), one of the United Kingdom’s top-ranking research universities. He joined the University of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario) in 2000 and is currently Professor of Neuroendocrinology in the Department of Cell and Systems Biology at the University of Toronto. He is the author of more than 210 scientific publications including 3three books in the field and an Associate Editor for a scientific journal and is inventor or co-inventor on all of our intellectual property.

 

Dalia Barsyte PhD, Scientific Advisor. Dr. Dalia Barsyte received her PhD in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Manchester, UK. She did the postdoctoral training at the University of Manchester and Ontario Cancer Institute, and currently is a scientist at the University of Toronto, Structural Genomics Consortium, where she has been employed since 2009. Dr. Barsyte is an inventor on one of the key Protagenic patents and author of over 50 scientific publications in oncology and neuroscience. Dr. Barsyte’s scientific interests include exploring chemical biology in therapeutic target validation through peptide or small molecule chemical probe compounds as well as novel in vitro models of disease based on patient derived cell culture.

 

Zack Armen, Strategic Advisor Zack became involved with Protagenic in Fall 2018, and brings experience in strategic finance and life sciences venture investing to the company through roles at Goldman Sachs, Flagship Pioneering, CiBO Technologies, and his current role as Director of Corporate Development at Valo Health.

Director Independence

Each of Messrs. Corvese, Silverman, and Barrage, and Dr. Buell are “independent” members of our board of directors as “independence” is defined in Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5605(a)(2).

Family Relationships

 

There are no family relationships between or among the directors, executive officers or persons nominated or chosen by our stockholders or us to become directors or executive officers. There is one family relationship between Strategic Advisor Zack Armen and our Executive Chairman, Garo Armen (Garo Armen is Zack Armen’s father).

 

Voting Agreement

 

On February 12, 2016, the Company and certain of its stockholders (currently representing approximately 43% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock), including Messrs. Armen, Arrow and Ekizian and Strategic Bio Partners, LLC, entered into a voting agreement whereby these stockholders agreed to vote in favor of setting and maintaining the size of the Board at five directors (unless increased by the Board), the election of one director designated by Strategic Bio Partners, LLC (Mr. Silverman”) and the election of four directors designated by Mr. Garo (so long as Mr. Garo is an officer or director of the Company). The term of the voting agreement runs untilterminated on February 12, 2019 unless terminated earlier by a vote of at least 90% of the stockholders party to the agreement or the consummation of a firm commitment underwritten public offering of the Company’s common stock resulting in proceeds to the Company of at least $20 million.2019.

 

Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings

 

To our knowledge, during the past ten years, none of our directors, executive officers, promoters, control persons, or nominees has:

 

been convicted in a criminal proceeding or been subject to a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offenses);

 

Exceptexcept as set forth above with respect to Dr. Stein, had any bankruptcy petition filed by or against the business or property of the person, or of any partnership, corporation or business association of which he was a general partner or executive officer, either at the time of the bankruptcy filing or within two years prior to that time;

 

been subject to any order, judgment, or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction or federal or state authority, permanently or temporarily enjoining, barring, suspending or otherwise limiting, his involvement in any type of business, securities, futures, commodities, investment, banking, savings and loan, or insurance activities, or to be associated with persons engaged in any such activity;

 

been found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the SEC or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to have violated a federal or state securities or commodities law, and the judgment has not been reversed, suspended, or vacated;

 

been the subject of, or a party to, any federal or state judicial or administrative order, judgment, decree, or finding, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated (not including any settlement of a civil proceeding among private litigants), relating to an alleged violation of any federal or state securities or commodities law or regulation, any law or regulation respecting financial institutions or insurance companies including, but not limited to, a temporary or permanent injunction, order of disgorgement or restitution, civil money penalty or temporary or permanent cease-and-desist order, or removal or prohibition order, or any law or regulation prohibiting mail or wire fraud or fraud in connection with any business entity; or

been the subject of, or a party to, any sanction or order, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any self-regulatory organization (as defined in Section 3(a)(26) of the Exchange Act), any registered entity (as defined in Section 1(a)(29) of the Commodity Exchange Act), or any equivalent exchange, association, entity or organization that has disciplinary authority over its members or persons associated with a member.

 

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

On February 24, 2017, we adopted a written Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Guidelines on Significant Governance Issues, and Process for Security Holder Communications with Directors (the “Codes”). All of our directors and employees are required to abide by the Codes, to comply with Nasdaq and SEC requirements to insure that the Company’s business is conducted in a consistently legal and ethical manner. Both Codes cover areas of professional conduct that include conflicts of interest, fair dealing and the strict adherence to all laws and regulations applicable to the conduct of the Company’s business. The full text of each Code has been filed as an exhibit with the SEC.

Board Committees

 

Our board of directors has established threefive standing committees: an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, a Science Committee and a Clinical and Regulatory Committee. Each of these committees will operate under a charter that has been approved by our board of directors.

 

Audit Committee. The Audit Committee will oversee and monitor our financial reporting process and internal control system, review and evaluate the audit performed by our registered independent public accountants and reports to the Board any substantive issues found during the audit. The Audit Committee will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of our registered independent public accountants. The Audit Committee will review and approve all transactions with affiliated parties. The Audit Committee shall be comprised on two or more independent directors who shall be appointed annually and subject to removal by the Board at any time. Each member of the Audit Committee shall meet the independence requirements of The NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC, and SEC regulations, as well as any other applicable requirements. On March 25, 2016, our Board appointed Messrs. EkizianCorvese (Committee Chairperson) and Barrage toand Dr. Buell comprise the Audit Committee, each of whom meets the independence requirements. In addition, the Board also designated Gregory EkizianBrian Corvese as an "audit“audit committee financial expert," as that term is defined by the NSADAQ Listing Rules and SEC regulations.

57

 

Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee will provide advice and make recommendations to the board in the areas of employee salaries, benefit programs and director compensation. The Compensation Committee will also review the compensation of our President, Chief Executive Officer, and other officers and make recommendations in that regard to the board as a whole. The Compensation Committee shall be comprised on three or more directors who shall be appointed annually and subject to removal by the Board at any time. AtThe Compensation Committee must have at least two members, and must consist solely of independent directors. Messrs. Barrage, Corvese, and Silverman comprise the Compensation Committee shall be "nonemployee directors" as such term is defined by SEC regulations and "outside directors" tem such term is defined by the Internal Revenue Code. On March 25, 2016, our Board appointed Messrs. Barrage (Committee Chairperson) and Ekizian, and Dr. Stein to the Compensation Committee.are all independent.

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will nominate individuals to be elected to the full board by our stockholders. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will determine the slate of director nominees for election to the Board, to identify and recommend candidates to fill vacancies occurring between annual stockholder meetings, to review the Company'sCompany’s policies and programs that relate to matters of corporate responsibility, including public issues of significance to the Company and its stockholders. The Compensation Committee shall be comprised on three or more directors who shall be appointed annually and subject to removal by the Board at any time. Each member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may or may not meet the independence requirements of The NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC and SEC regulations. On March 25, 2016, our Board appointed Messrs. Silverman (Committee Chairperson), and Drs. Armen and Stein toCorvese, comprise the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

 

Director IndependenceScience Committee. The Science Committee will meet regularly to review the strategic direction being taken by Management with respect to developing the Company’s scientific assets. A key function of the Science Committee is to ensure that the Company is targeting disease indications for its drug candidates that take full advantage of the drug candidates’ potential, within the constraints of the working capital available to the Company. This process is expected to continually necessitate difficult choices concerning how many disease targets to pursue. The Science Committee will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the Company’s top scientific staff. The Science Committee will review and approve all major contractual agreements with contract research organizations. The Science Committee shall be comprised on two or more directors who shall be appointed annually and subject to removal by the Board at any time. Drs. Stein (Committee Chairperson), Armen and Mr. Silverman comprise the Science Committee.

 

We are not currently listed on any national securities exchange or in an inter-dealer quotation system that has a requirement that the Board of Directors be independent. However, in evaluating the independence of our membersClinical and the compositionRegulatory Committee: The Clinical and Regulatory committee will meet at least once per year to review progress of the committees of our Board of Directors, our Board utilizes the definition of “independence” as that term is defined by applicable listing standardsclinical trial programs of the Nasdaq Stock MarketCompany. The Clinical and SEC rules, including the rules relating to the independence standards of an auditRegulatory committee was created in July 2020 and the non-employee director definition of Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act.

Our Board of Directors expects to continue to evaluateDr. Jennifer Buell was appointed as its independence standards and whether and to what extent the composition of the Board and its committees meets those standards. We ultimately intend to appoint such persons to our Board and committees of our Board as are expected to be required to meet the corporate governance requirements imposed by a national securities exchange. Therefore, we intend that a majority of our directors will be independent directors of which at least one director will qualify as an “audit committee financial expert,” within the meaning of Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K, as promulgated by the SEC.

We believe that Messrs. Barrage and Ekizian are each an “independent” director as that term is defined by the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. Marketplace Rules and SEC Regulations. In addition, the Board also designated Gregory Ekizian as an "audit committee financial expert," as that term is defined by the NSADAQ Listing Rules and SEC regulations.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethicschair.

We have not adopted a written Code of Business Conduct and Ethics but anticipate doing so following the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

 

Limitation of Directors Liability and Indemnification

 

The Delaware General Corporation Law authorizes corporations to limit or eliminate, subject to certain conditions, the personal liability of directors to corporations and their stockholders for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duties. Our certificate of incorporation limits the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.

 

We have director and officer liability insurance to cover liabilities our directors and officers may incur in connection with their services to us, including matters arising under the Securities Act. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws also provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers who, by reason of the fact that he or she is one of our officers or directors of our company, is involved in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative related to their board role with the company.

 

We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. It is anticipated that future directors and officers will enter into an Indemnification Agreement with us in substantially similar form. The Indemnification Agreement provides, among other things, that we will indemnify and hold harmless each person subject to an Indemnification Agreement (each, an “Indemnified Party”) to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law from and against all losses, costs, liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines, expenses and other matters that may result or arise in connection with such Indemnified Party serving in his or her capacity as a director of ours or serving at our direction as a director, officer, employee, fiduciary or agent of another entity. The Indemnification Agreement further provides that, upon an Indemnified Party’s request, we will advance expenses to the Indemnified Party to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Pursuant to the Indemnification Agreement, an Indemnified Party is presumed to be entitled to indemnification and we have the burden of proving otherwise. The Indemnification Agreement also requires us to maintain in full force and effect directors’ liability insurance on the terms described in the Indemnification Agreement. If indemnification under the Indemnification Agreement is unavailable to an Indemnified Party for any reason, we, in lieu of indemnifying the Indemnified Party, will contribute to any amounts incurred by the Indemnified Party in connection with any claim relating to an indemnifiable event in such proportion as is deemed fair and reasonable in light of all of the circumstances to reflect the relative benefits received or relative fault of the parties in connection with such event.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

There is no pending litigation or proceeding involving any of our directors, officers, employees or agents in which indemnification will be required or permitted. We are not aware of any threatened litigation or proceeding that may result in a claim for such indemnification.

 

 

ExecutiveCompensationEXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

 

The following table sets forth certain summary information regarding each element of compensation that we paid or awarded to our named executive officers for the last three fiscal years in all capacities in which they served the Company and its subsidiaries for fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 and 2014. such period. The individuals listed below shall be referred to as the “Named Executive Officers”.

 

Summary Compensation Table

 

Name and Principal Position

Year

 

Salary

  

Bonus ($)

  

Stock Awards ($)

  

Option Awards ($)

  

Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)

  

Deferred Compensation ($)

  

All Other Compensation ($)

  

Total Compensation ($)

 
     ��                            

Garo H. Armen, Chairman

2016

  N/A   N/A   N/A  $82,223(1)  N/A   N/A   N/A  $82,223 
 

2015

  N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A 
 

2014

  N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A 
                                  

Robert Ziroyan, Chief Operating Officer and Interim President (4)

2016

 $16,861  $0  $0  $0  $0  $0  $2,869(2) $19,730 
 

2015

 $76,812  $0  $0  $55,125(3) $0  $0  $4,758(2) $136,695 
 

2014

 $88,870  $0  $0  $36,500(5) $0  $0  $7,548(2) $132,918 
                                  

Alexander K. Arrow, Chief Financial Officer

2016

 $106,552  $0  $0  $43,580(6) $0  $0   N/A  $150,132 
 

2015

  N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A 
 

2014

  N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A 

(1) We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value the options granted. On April 15, 2016, Dr. Armen was granted 111,112 options (exercise price of $1.25/option) which had vested by December 31, 2016 valued at US $0.74 each at December 31, 2016.   

(2) Represents health benefits, Canada Pension Plan and employment insurance, cell phone and internet reimbursements.

(3) We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value the options granted. On March 9, 2015 Mr. Ziroyan was granted 56,250 options (exercise price of $1.25/option) which had vested by December 31, 2015 valued at US $0.98 each at December 31, 2015.  A week earlier, on March 1, 2015 Mr. Ziroyan was granted 18,750 options (exercise price of $1.25/option) which had vested by December 31, 2015 using a value of US $0.98 each at December 31, 2015.

(4) Mr. Ziroyan ceased serving as an executive officer effective April 4, 2016. We compensated Mr. Ziroyan an officer (President & COO) from January 1, 2016 through April 3, 2016, in the amount of $19,730.  We then compensated him as an external consultant non-officer from April 4, 2016 through December 31, 2016, in the amount of $18,000.  Mr. Ziroyan was not granted any options during 2016.

(5) We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value the options granted. March 1, 2014 granted 41,667 options (exercise price of $1/option) which vested on December 31, 2014 valued at US $0.73 at December 31, 2014. December 31, 2014 granted 8,333 options (exercise price of $1/option) which vested on March 1, 2015 using a value of US $0.73 at December 31, 2014.

(6) We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value the options granted. On February 12, 2016, Dr. Arrow was granted 27,780 options (exercise price of $1.25/option) which had vested by December 31, 2016 valued at US $0.74 each at December 31, 2016.  Then, on April 15, 2016, Dr. Arrow was granted 31,112 options (exercise price of $1.25/option) which had vested by December 31, 2016 valued at US $0.74 each at December 31, 2016.

------------------------------------------

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End

The following table summarizes the equity awards made to our named executive officers that were outstanding at December 31, 2016.

Name

 

No. of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable

  

No. of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable

  

Option Exercise
Price

 

Option Expiration
Date

 

Garo H. Armen (1)

  111,112   388,888  $1.25 

April 15, 2026 

 

Robert Ziroyan (2)

  100,000     $1.00 

March 30, 2021

 

Robert Ziroyan (2)

  50,000     $1.00 

March 1, 2024

 

Robert Ziroyan (2)

  75,000     $1.25 

March 9, 2025 

 

Alexander K. Arrow (3)

  27,780   72,220  $1.25 

February 12, 2026

 

Alexander K. Arrow (3)

  31,112   108,888  $1.25 

April 15, 2026

 
Name and Principal Position Year  Salary  Bonus
($)
  Stock Awards
($)
  Option Awards
($)
  Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation
($)
  Non-
Qualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
($)
  All Other Compensation
($)
  Total Compensation
($)
 
                            
Garo H. Armen,  2020   0   0   0  $411,185(1)           0         0        0  $411,185 
Chairman  2019   0   0   0  $0   0   0   0  $0 
                                     
Alexander K. Arrow,  2020  $38,462  $0  $0  $564,067(2) $0  $0   0  $602,529 
Chief Financial Officer  2019  $9,094  $0  $0  $81,977(2) $0  $0   0  $91,071 

 

(1)

Mr. Ziroyan ceased serving as an executive officer asWe use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value the options granted. On February 13, 2020, Dr. Armen was granted 300,000 options (exercise price of April 4, 2016.

$1.75/option) under the 2016 Equity Compensation Plan.

 

(2)We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value the options granted. On February 1, 2019, Dr. Arrow was granted 41,667 options (exercise price of $1.75/option) under the 2016 Equity Compensation Plan in lieu of two months cash salary. On February 13, 2020, Dr. Arrow was granted 120,000 options (exercise price $1.75/option) under the 2016 Equity Compensation Plan. On February 13, 2020, he was granted 187,497 options (exercise price of $1.75/option) in lieu of nine months of cash salary. On July 18, 2020, he was granted 124,998 options (exercise price $1.75/option) in lieu of six months of cash salary.

 

Employment Arrangements with Officers and Directors

 

Dr. Alexander Arrow, our Chief Financial Officer, receives base compensation of $125,000 per year for his part-time work for us. In addition,us, except for an 19-month period from February 2019 through August 2020 during which he received zero cash salary and three grants totaling 354,162 options in lieu of cash salary. From 2016 through 2020, cumulatively, Dr. Arrow received 100,000 options (on a post-Reverse Split basis) under the 2006 Plan as a sign-on bonus when he joined us and 140,000three grants totaling 335,000 incentive options in the aggregate under the 2016 plan on April 15, 2016. These options have anwith exercise priceprices of $1.25 and $1.75 per share, a ten-year term and vest over a three-year period in 35 monthly installments of 2,778 shares and a final installment of 2,770 shares and 3,889 shares and a final installment of 3,885 shares, respectively.share. The terms of Dr. Arrow’s option grant alsogrants include full vesting acceleration upon a change of control. Drs. Arrow and Armen are the only two executive officers of the Company.

59

 

ConsultancyConsulting Agreements

 

Andrew Slee, PhD, Chief Operating Officer. In December 2020, we entered into a consulting agreement with Dr. Slee to act as our Chief Operating Officer. We granted Dr. Slee (i) 100,000 options on April 15, 2016, at an exercise price of $1.25 per option, (ii) 75,000 options on October 16, 2017, at an exercise price of $1.75 per option, and (iii) 75,000 options on July 18, 2020, at an exercise price of $1.25 per option, and (v) 150,000 options on February 13, 2020, at an exercise price of $1.75 per option.

Dalia Barsyte PhD, Chief Technology Officer.Scientific Advisor. Our subsidiary, Protagenic Therapeutics Canada (2006) Inc., entered into a consulting agreement with Dr. Dalia Barsyte. Dr. Barsyte is responsible for overseeing i) design and development of ELISA assays for measuring TCAP, ii) evaluation of TCAP exposure biomarker assay, iii) development of pipeline peptides, iv) development of clinically compatible formulations for TCAP, as well as all of the bench research and development of formulation and extraction methods. Her consulting agreement is effective through December 2015.2017. She is compensated at the rate of $1,000up to $3,000 (Canadian) per month.month, if she works at least 20 hours on behalf of the Company. As well, we have granted Dr. Barsyte 10,000 shares of our common stock and ten-year options to purchase 150,000 shares of our common stock. Options to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock, at an exercise price of $1.00 per share, have fully vested; the options to purchase the remaining 50,000 shares of common stock, at an exercise price of $1.25 per share, will vestvested in March 2016, provided she remains a consultant to us.

Brandt J. Mandia. Mr. Mandia has provided financial and business advisory services to Protagenic since January 2015. In2016. On October 2015 Protagenic entered into a consulting agreement with Mr. Mandia providing for a continuation of these services through December 31, 2015. As consideration for his past and future services, on November 4, 2015 and December 31, 2015, Mr. Mandia was16, 2017, we granted warrantsDr. Barsyte another ten-year option to purchase 187,500 and 62,50020,000 shares of our common stock (on a post-Reverse Split basis) respectively, each exercisable until November, 2023 at an exercise price of $1.25$1.75 per share. The warrants have vested in their entirety.On February 13, 2020, we granted Dr. Barsyte a ten-year option to purchase 10,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $1.75 per share.

 

Robert B. Stein, PhD, MD, Director, Chief Medical Officer. We entered into a consulting agreement with Dr. Stein effective January 2015.2015, and amended and restated this consulting agreement in December 2020 to appoint Dr. Stein as our Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Stein is responsible for providing us with technical and advisory services related to our research and development efforts. The consulting agreement is effective through January 2020. On January 23, 2015, we granted Dr. Stein ten-year options to purchase 200,000 shares of our common stock, (on a post-Reverse Split basis), at an exercise price of $1.25 per share.share (the “January Options”). The options vest in increments of 1.667% per month on the first day of each calendar month following January 2015, such that the shares shall beOptions are fully vested on January 23, 2020, providedvested. We granted Dr. Stein remains a consultant(i) 40,000 options on April 15, 2016, at an exercise price of $1.25 per option, (ii) 200,000 options on October 16, 2017, at an exercise price of $1.75 per option, and (iii) 150,000 options on February 13, 2020, at an exercise price of $1.25 per option, bringing Dr. Stein’s total to us.590,000 options.

 

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End

 

The following table summarizes the equity awards calculated on a post-Reverse Stock Split basis, made to our named executive officers that were outstanding at December 31, 2015. Effective April 4, 2016, Mr. Ziroyan no longer served as an executive officer.2020.

 

Name

 

No. of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable

  

No. of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable

  

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($)

  No. of Securities
Underlying Unexercised
Options (#) Exercisable
  

No. of Securities

Underlying Unexercised

Options (#) Unexercisable

 

Option

Exercise Price

 

Option

Expiration Date

Robert Ziroyan

  25,000      $0.26 

8/2016

        
Garo H. Armen (1)  500,000           -  $1.25  April 15, 2026
  100,000      $1.00 

3/2021

  1   1               
Garo H. Armen (2)  250,000      $1.75  October 16, 2027
  50,000      $1.00 

3/2024

                      
Garo H. Armen (3)  300,000       1.75  February 13, 2030
      75,000 (1) $1.25 

3/2025

                      
Alexander K. Arrow (4)  100,000   -  $1.25  February 12, 2026
              
Alexander K. Arrow (4)  140,000   -  $1.25  April 15, 2026
              
Alexander K. Arrow (5)  75,000      $1.75  October 16, 2027
              
Alexander K. Arrow (6)  41,667   -  $1.00  February 1, 2029
              
Alexander K. Arrow (7)  120,000      $1.75  February 13, 2030
              
Alexander K. Arrow (8)  187,497      $1.75  February 13, 2030
              
Alexander K. Arrow (9)  124,998      $1.75  July 18, 2030
              
Andrew Slee (10)  100,000      $1.25  April 15, 2026
              
Andrew Slee (11)  75,000      $1.75  October 16, 2027
              
Andrew Slee (12)  150,000      $1.75  February 13, 2030
              
Andrew Slee (13)  75,000      $1.75  July 18, 2030
              
Robert B. Stein (14)  200,000      $1.25  January 22, 2025
              
Robert B. Stein (15)  40,000      $1.25  April 15, 2026
              
Robert B. Stein (16)  200,000      $1.75  October 16, 2027
              
Robert B. Stein (17)  150,000      $1.75  February 13, 2030

60

 

(1)

These are the only equity awardsDr. Armen was granted by us to our executive officers during the year ended December 31,a 500,000 share option grant on April 15, 2016

(2)Dr. Armen was granted a 250,000 share option grant on October 16, 2017.
(3)Dr. Armen was granted a 300,000 share option grant on February 13, 2020.
(4)Dr. Arrow was granted a 100,000 share option grant on February 12, 2016, and a 140,000 share option grant on April 15, 2016
(5)Dr. Arrow was granted a 75,000 share option grant on October 16, 2017.
(6)Dr. Arrow was granted a 41,667 share option grant on February 1, 2019.
(7)Dr. Arrow was granted a 120,000 share option grant on February 13, 2020.
(8)Dr. Arrow was granted a 187,497 share option grant on February 13, 2020.
(9)Dr. Arrow was granted a 124,998 share option grant on July 18, 2020.
(10)Dr. Slee was granted a 100,000 shares option grant on April 15, 2016.
(11)Dr. Slee was granted a 75,000 shares option grant on October 16, 2017.
(12)Dr. Slee was granted a 150,000 shares option grant on February 13, 2020.
(13)Dr. Slee was granted a 75,000 shares option grant on July 18, 2020.
(14)Dr. Stein was granted a 200,000 shares option grant on January 22, 2015.

(15)Dr. Stein was granted a 40,000 shares option grant on April 15, 2016.
(16)Dr. Stein was granted a 200,000 shares option grant on October 16, 2017.
(17)Dr. Stein was granted a 150,000 shares option grant on February 13, 2020.

 

For Drs. Armen and Arrow, following a qualified Change of Control, a resignation for Good Reason, or an involuntary termination other than For Cause, 100% of the executives’ then-unvested options shall become immediately vested.

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Director Compensation

During fiscal year 2020 we issued 45,000 options with an exercise price of $1.75 to Dr. Buell for her services on the Board.

Going forward, on April 15 of each fiscal year, we plan to grant each non-employee director an option under the 2016 Plan to purchase 40,000 shares of common stock, as well as an option to purchase 5,000 shares for each committee which they chair. No additional options shall be granted for serving on a committee without being its chair. All options will be granted at fair market value, as defined in the 2016 Plan, on the date of grant, and will vest over a three-year period in equal monthly installments. Vesting will accelerate in certain circumstances, such as a change of control of the Company, and unvested options will terminate upon the cessation of an individual’s service to us as a director.

Non-employee directors may be reimbursed for their reasonable expenses in attending Board and committee meetings.

We entered into an amended and restated consulting agreement during fiscal year 2020 with Robert B. Stein, PhD, MD, under which we issued 150,000 options on February 13, 2020, at an exercise price of $1.25 per option.

Equity Compensation Plans

Equity Compensation Plan Information

Plan category 

(a)

No. of securities
to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights

  

(b)

Weighted-average

exercise price of

outstanding options,

warrants and rights

  

(c)

No. of securities

remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)

 
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders  10,477,685  $          1.27   1,122,918 
             
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders  0   0   0 
             
Total  10,477,685  $1.27   1,122,918 

 

2006 Employee, Director and Consultant Stock Plan

 

We adopted Protagenic’s 2006 Employee, Director and Consultant Stock Plan, or the 2006 Plan in connection with the Merger. On June 17, 2016, our stockholders adopted our 2016 Equity Compensation Plan and, as a result, we terminated the 2006 Plan. We will not grant any further awards under the 2006 Plan. All outstanding grants under the 2006 Plan will continue in effect in accordance with the terms of the particular grant and the 2006 Plan.

The following description of the pertinent terms of the 2006 Plan is a summary and is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the 2006 Plan.

 

Administration. .The administrator (the “Administrator”) of the 2006 Plan is the Board of Directors, except to the extent the Board of Directors delegates its authority to the Compensation committee (the “Committee”) of the Board, in which case the Committee shall be the Administrator. Subject to the provisions of the 2006 Plan, the Administrator is authorized to:

a.

Interpret the provisions of the 2006 Plan or of any option or stock grant and to make all rules and determinations which it deems necessary or advisable for the administration of the 2006 Plan;

b.

Determine which employees, directors and consultants shall be granted awards;

c.

Determine the number of Shares for which an award shall be granted;

d.

Specify the terms and conditions upon which an award may be granted; and

e.

Adopt any sub-plans applicable to residents of any specified jurisdiction as it deems necessary or appropriate in order to comply with or take advantage of any tax laws applicable to the us or to 2006 Plan participants or to otherwise facilitate the administration of the 2006 Plan, which sub-plans may include additional restrictions or conditions applicable to options or shares acquired upon exercise of options.

provided, however, that all such interpretations, rules, determinations, terms and conditions shall be made and prescribed in the context of preserving the tax status under Section 422 of the Code of those options which are designated as ISOs. Subject to the foregoing, the interpretation and construction by the Administrator of any provisions of the 2006 Plan or of any award granted under it shall be final.

If permissible under applicable law, the Board of Directors or the Committee may allocate all or any portion of its responsibilities and powers to any one or more of its members and may delegate all or any portion of its responsibilities and powers to any other person selected by it. Any such allocation or delegation may be revoked by the Board of Directors or the Committee at any time.

 

Terms and Conditions of Options. Options granted under the 2006 Plan may be either “incentive stock options” that are intended to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code or “nonqualified stock options” that do not meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code. The Administrator will determine the exercise price of options granted under the 2006 Plan. The exercise price of stock options may not be less than the fair market value per share of our common stock on the date of grant (or 110% of fair market value in the case of incentive stock options granted to a ten-percent stockholder).

62

 

If on the date of grant the common stock is listed on a stock exchange or national market system, the fair market value will generally be the closing sale price on the date of grant. If the common stock is not traded on a stock exchange or national market system on the date of grant, the fair market value will generally be the mean between the bid and the asked price for the common stock at the close of trading in the over-the-counter market for the trading day on which common stock was traded immediately preceding the applicable date. If no such prices are available, the fair market value shall be determined in good faith by the Administrator.

 

No option intended to qualify as an ISO may be exercisable for more than ten years from the date of grant (five years in the case of an incentive stock option granted to a ten-percent stockholder). Options granted under the 2006 Plan will be exercisable at such time or times as the Administrator prescribes at the time of grant. No employee may receive incentive stock options that first become exercisable in any calendar year in an amount exceeding $100,000.

 

Generally, the exercise price of an option may be paid (a) in cash or by certified bank check, (b) at the discretion of the Administrator, through delivery of shares of our common stock held for at least six months having a fair market value equal to the purchase price, (c) at the discretion of the Administrator, by delivery of the grantee’s personal note, for full, partial or no recourse, bearing interest payable not less than annually at market rate on the date of exercise and at no less than 100% of the applicable Federal rate, as defined in Section 1274(d) of the Code, with or without the pledge of such shares as collateral, or (d) at the discretion of the Administrator, in accordance with a cashless exercise program established with a securities brokerage firm, and approved by the Administrator, or (e) at the discretion of the Administrator, by any combination of the above methods.

 

No option may be transferred other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and during a recipient’s lifetime an option may be exercised only by the recipient. The Administrator will determine the extent to which a holder of a stock option may exercise the option following termination of service with us.

 

The Administrator will determine the extent to which a holder of a stock option may exercise the option following termination of service with us.

 

Effect of Certain Corporate Transactions. If the Company is to be consolidated with or acquired by another entity in a merger, sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets other than a transaction to merely change the state of incorporation (a “Corporate Transaction”), the Administrator or the board of directors of any entity assuming the obligations of the Company hereunder (the “Successor Board”), shall, as to outstanding options, either (i) make appropriate provision for the continuation of such options by substituting on an equitable basis for the Shares then subject to such options either the consideration payable with respect to the outstanding shares of common stock in connection with the Corporate Transaction or securities of any successor or acquiring entity (provided, that, at the discretion of the Administrator, all unvested options shall be made fully or partially exercisable for purposes of this Subparagraph upon the closing of the Corporate Transaction);options; or (ii) upon written notice to the participants, provide that all options must be exercised (either to the extent then exercisable or, at the discretion of the Administrator, all options being made fully or partially exercisable), within a specified number of days of the date of such notice, at the end of which period the options shall terminate; or (iii) terminate all options in exchange for a cash payment equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares of common stock subject to such options (either to the extent then exercisable or, at the discretion of the Administrator, all options being made fully or partially exercisable) over the exercise price thereof.

 

Tax Withholding. As and when appropriate, we shall have the right to require each optionee purchasing shares of common stock and each grantee receiving an award of shares of common stock under the 2006 Plan to pay any federal, state or local taxes required by law to be withheld.

 

2016 Equity Compensation Plan

 

The following description of the principal terms of the 2016 Plan is a summary and is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the 2016 Plan.

 

Administration. .The 2016 Plan will beis administered by the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors, provided that the entire Board of Directors may act in lieu of the Compensation Committee on any matter, subject to certain requirements set forth in the 2016 Plan. The Compensation Committee may grant options to purchase shares of our common stock, stock appreciation rights, stock units, restricted shares of our common stock, performance shares, performance units, incentive bonus awards, other cash-based awards and other stock-based awards. The Compensation Committee also has broad authority to determine the terms and conditions of each option or other kind of award, and adopt, amend and rescind rules and regulations for the administration of the 2016 Plan. Subject to applicable law, the Compensation Committee may authorize one or more reporting persons (as defined in the 2016 Plan) or other officers to make awards (other than awards to reporting persons, or other officers whom the Compensation Committee has specifically authorized to make awards). No awards may be granted under the 2016 Plan on or after the ten-year anniversary of the adoption of the 2016 Plan by our Board of Directors, but awards granted prior to such tenth anniversary may extend beyond that date.

 

63

Eligibility. .Awards may be granted under the 2016 Plan to any person who is an employee, officer, director, consultant, advisor or other individual service provider of the Company or any subsidiary, or any person who is determined by the Compensation Committee to be a prospective employee, officer, director, consultant, advisor or other individual service provider of the Company or any subsidiary.

 

Shares Subject to the 2016 Plan. The aggregate number of shares of common stock proposed to be available for issuance in connection with options and awards granted under the 2016 Plan is 3,000,000 shares. Incentive Stock Options may, but need not be, granted with respect to all of the shares available for issuance under the 2016 Plan;provided,however, that the maximum aggregate number of shares of common stock which may be issued in respect of Incentive Stock Options (after giving effect to any increases pursuant to the “evergreen” provisions of the 2016 Plan discussed below) shall not exceed 6,000,000 shares, subject to adjustment in the event of stock, splits and similar transactions. If any award granted under the 2016 Plan payable in shares of common stock is forfeited, cancelled, or returned for failure to satisfy vesting requirements, otherwise terminates without payment being made, or if shares of common stock are withheld to cover withholding taxes on options or other awards, the number of shares of common stock as to which such option or award was forfeited, or which were withheld, will be available for future grants under the 2016 Plan.

 

In addition, the 2016 Plan contains an “evergreen” provision allowing for an annual increase in the number of shares of our common stock available for issuance under the 2016 Plan on January 1 of each year during the period beginning January 1, 2017, and ending on (and including) January 1, 2026. The annual increase in the number of shares shall be equal to (i) five point five percent (5.5%) of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on December 31st of the preceding calendar year, or (ii) with respect to shares of common stock which may be issued under the 2016 Plan other than in respect to Incentive Stock Options, the difference between (x) eighteen y percent (18%) of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on December 31st of the preceding calendar year, and (y) the total number of shares of common stock reserved under the 2016 Plan on December 31st of such preceding calendar year (including shares subject to outstanding awards, issued pursuant to awards or available for future awards) if such amount is greater than the amount determined in (i) immediately above; provided, however, that our Board may act prior to the first day of any calendar year to provide that there shall be no increase such calendar year, or that the increase shall be a lesser number of shares of common stock than would otherwise occur. On January 1, 2017, 2019, and 2020, each year 564,378 shares of common stock were added to the 2016 Plan pursuant to this evergreen provision.

 

Terms and Conditions of Options. Options granted under the 2016 Plan may be either “incentive stock options” that are intended to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code or “nonqualified stock options” that do not meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code. The Compensation Committee will determine the exercise price of options granted under the 2016 Plan. The exercise price of stock options may not be less than the fair market value, on the date of grant, per share of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the option (or 110% of fair market value in the case of incentive options granted to a ten-percent stockholder).

 

If on the date of grant the common stock is listed on a stock exchange or national market system, the fair market value shall generally be the closing sale price as of such date, or if there were no trades recorded on such date, then the most recent date preceding such date on which trades were recorded. If on the date of grant the common stock is traded in an over-the-counter market, the fair market will generally be the average of the closing bid and asked prices for the shares of common stock as of such date, or, if there are no closing bid and asked prices for the shares of common stock on such date, then the average of the bid and asked prices for the shares of common stock on the most recent date preceding such date on which such closing bid and asked prices are available. If the common stock is not listed on a national securities exchange or national market system or traded in an over-the-counter market, the fair market value shall be determined by the Compensation Committee in a manner consistent with Section 409A of the Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if on the date of grant the common stock is listed on a stock exchange or is quoted on a national market system, or is traded in an over-the-counter market, then solely for purposes of determining the exercise price of any grant of a stock option or the base price of any grant of a stock appreciation right, the Compensation Committee may, in its discretion, base fair market value on the last sale before or the first sale after the grant, the closing price on the trading day before or the trading day of the grant, the arithmetic mean of the high and low prices on the trading day before or the trading day of the grant, or any other reasonable method using actual transactions of the common stock as reported by the exchange or market on which the common stock is traded. In addition, the determination of fair market value also may be made using any other method permitted under Treasury Regulation section 1.409A-1(b)(5)(iv).

 

 

No option may be exercisable for more than ten years from the date of grant (five years in the case of an incentive stock option granted to a ten-percent stockholder). Options granted under the 2016 Plan will be exercisable at such time or times as the Compensation Committee prescribes at the time of grant. No employee may receive incentive stock options that first become exercisable in any calendar year in an amount exceeding $100,000. The Compensation Committee may, in its discretion, permit a holder of a nonqualified stock option to exercise the option before it has otherwise become exercisable, in which case the shares of our common stock issued to the recipient will continue to be subject to the vesting requirements that applied to the option before exercise.

 

Generally, the option price may be paid in cash or by bank check, or such other means as the Compensation Committee may accept. As set forth in an award agreement or otherwise determined by the Compensation Committee, in its sole discretion, at or after grant, payment in full or part of the exercise price of an option may be made (a) in the form of shares of common stock that have been held by the participant for such period as the Compensation Committee may deem appropriate for accounting purposes or otherwise, valued at the fair market value of such shares on the date of exercise; (ii) by surrendering to the Company shares of common stock otherwise receivable on exercise of the option; (iii) by a cashless exercise program implemented by the Compensation Committee in connection with the 2016 Plan; and/or (iv) by such other method as may be approved by the Compensation Committee and set forth in an award agreement.

 

No option may be transferred other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and during a recipient’s lifetime an option may be exercised only by the recipient or the recipient’s guardian or legal representative. However, the Compensation Committee may permit the transfer of a nonqualified stock option, share-settled stock appreciation right, restricted stock award, performance share or share-settled other stock-based award either (a) by instrument to the participant’s immediate family (as defined in the 2016 Plan), (b) by instrument to an inter vivos or testamentary trust (or other entity) in which the award is to be passed to the participant’s designated beneficiaries, or (c) by gift to charitable institutions. The Compensation Committee will determine the extent to which a holder of a stock option may exercise the option following termination of service.

 

Stock Appreciation Rights. The Compensation Committee may grant stock appreciation rights independent of or in connection with an option. The Compensation Committee will determine the terms applicable to stock appreciation rights. The base price of a stock appreciation right will be determined by the Compensation Committee, but will not be less than 100% of the fair market value of a share of our common stock with respect to the date of grant of such stock appreciation right. The maximum term of any SAR granted under the 2016 Plan is ten years from the date of grant. Generally, each SAR stock appreciation right will entitle a participant upon exercise to an amount equal to:

 

 

the excess of the fair market value of a share of common stock on the date of exercise of the stock appreciation right over the base price of such stock appreciation right, multiplied by

 

 

the number of shares as to which such stock appreciation right is exercised.

 

Payment may be made in shares of our common stock, in cash, or partly in common stock and partly in cash, all as determined by the Compensation Committee.

 

Restricted Stock and Stock Units. The Compensation Committee may award restricted common stock and/or stock units under the 2016 Plan. Restricted stock awards consist of shares of stock that are transferred to a participant subject to restrictions that may result in forfeiture if specified conditions are not satisfied. Stock units confer the right to receive shares of our common stock, cash, or a combination of shares and cash, at a future date upon or following the attainment of certain conditions specified by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee will determine the restrictions and conditions applicable to each award of restricted stock or stock units, which may include performance-based conditions. Dividends with respect to restricted stock may be paid to the holder of the shares as and when dividends are paid to stockholders or at the times of vesting or other payment of the restricted stock award. Stock unit awards may be granted with dividend equivalent rights, which may be accumulated and may be deemed reinvested in additional stock units, as determined by the Compensation Committee in its discretion. If any dividend equivalents are paid while a stock unit award is subject to restrictions, the dividend equivalents shall be subject to the same restrictions on transferability as the underlying stock units, unless otherwise set forth in an award agreement. Unless the Compensation Committee determines otherwise, holders of restricted stock will have the right to vote the shares.

 

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Performance Shares and Performance Units. The Compensation Committee may award performance shares and/or performance units under the 2016 Plan. Performance shares and performance units are awards which are earned during a specified performance period subject to the attainment of performance criteria, as established by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee will determine the restrictions and conditions applicable to each award of performance shares and performance units.

 

Incentive Bonus Awards. The Compensation Committee may award Incentive Bonus Awards under the 2016 Plan. Incentive Bonus Awards may be based upon the attainment of specified levels of Company or subsidiary performance as measured by pre-established, objective performance criteria determined at the discretion of the Compensation Committee. Incentive Bonus Awards will be paid in cash or common stock, as set forth in an award agreementagreement.

 

Other Stock-Based and Cash-Based Awards. The Compensation Committee may award other types of equity-based or cash-based awards under the 2016 Plan, including the grant or offer for sale of unrestricted shares of our common stock and payment in cash or otherwise of amounts based on the value of shares of common stock.

 

Section 162(m) Compliance. If stock or cash-based awards are intended to satisfy the conditions for deductibility under Section 162(m) of the Code as “performance-based compensation,” the performance criteria will be selected from among the following, which may be applied to our Company as a whole, any subsidiary or any division or operating unit thereof: (a) pre-tax income; (b) after-tax income; (c) net income; (d) operating income or profit; (e) cash flow, free cash flow, cash flow return on investment, net cash provided by operations, or cash flow in excess of cost of capital; (f) earnings per share; (g) return on equity; (h) return on sales or revenues; (i) return on invested capital or assets; (j) cash, funds or earnings available for distribution; (k) appreciation in the fair market value of the common stock; (l) operating expenses; (m) implementation or completion of critical projects or processes; (n) return on investment; (o) total return to stockholders; (p) dividends paid; (q) net earnings growth; (r) related return ratios; (s) increase in revenues; (t) the Company’s published ranking against its peer group of pharmaceutical companies based on total stockholder return; (u) net earnings; (v) changes (or the absence of changes) in the per share or aggregate market price of the common stock; (w) number of securities sold; (x) earnings before or after any one or more of the following items: interest, taxes, depreciation or amortization, as reflected in the Company’s financial reports for the applicable period; (y) total revenue growth; (z) economic value created; (aa) operating margin or profit margin; (bb) share price or total stockholder return; (cc) cost targets, reductions and savings, productivity and efficiencies; (dd) strategic business criteria, consisting of one or more objectives based on meeting objectively determinable criteria: specified market penetration, geographic business expansion, progress with research and development activities, investor satisfaction, employee satisfaction, human resources management, supervision of litigation, information technology, and goals relating to acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and similar transactions, and budget comparisons; (ee) objectively determinable personal or professional objectives, including any of the following performance goals: the implementation of policies and plans, the negotiation of transactions, the development of long term business goals, formation of joint ventures, research or development collaborations, and the completion of other corporate transactions, and (ff) any combination of, or a specified increase or improvement in, any of the foregoing.

 

At the end of the performance period established in connection with any award, the Compensation Committee will determine the extent to which the performance goal or goals established for such award have been attained, and shall determine, on that basis, the number of performance shares or performance units included in such award that have been earned and as to which payment will be made. The Compensation Committee will certify in writing the extent to which it has determined that the performance goal or goals established by it for such award have been attained.

 

With respect to awards intended to be performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code, no participant of the 2016 Plan may receive in any one fiscal year (a) options or stock appreciation rights relating to more than 1,000,000 shares of our common stock, and (b) stock units, restricted shares, performance shares, performance units or other stock-based awards that are denominated in shares of common stock relating to more than 1,000,000 shares of our common stock in the aggregate. The maximum dollar value payable to any participant for a fiscal year of the Company with respect to stock units, performance units or incentive bonus awards or other stock-based awards that may be settled in cash or other property (other than common stock) is $1,500,000.

 

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Effect of Certain Corporate Transactions. The Compensation Committee may, at the time of the grant of an award, provide for the effect of a change in control (as defined in the 2016 Plan) on any award, including (i) accelerating or extending the time periods for exercising, vesting in, or realizing gain from any award, (ii) eliminating or modifying the performance or other conditions of an award, (iii) providing for the cash settlement of an award for an equivalent cash value, as determined by the Compensation Committee, or (iv) such other modification or adjustment to an award as the Compensation Committee deems appropriate to maintain and protect the rights and interests of participants upon or following a change in control. The Compensation Committee may, in its discretion and without the need for the consent of any recipient of an award, also take one or more of the following actions contingent upon the occurrence of a change in control: (a) cause any or all outstanding options and stock appreciation rights to become immediately exercisable, in whole or in part; (b) cause any other awards to become non-forfeitable, in whole or in part; (c) cancel any option or stock appreciation right in exchange for a substitute option; (d) cancel any award of restricted stock, stock units, performance shares or performance units in exchange for a similar award of the capital stock of any successor corporation; (e) redeem any restricted stock, stock unit, performance share or performance unit for cash and/or other substitute consideration with a value equal to the fair market value of an unrestricted share of our common stock on the date of the change in control; (f) cancel any option or stock appreciation right in exchange for cash and/or other substitute consideration based on the value of our common stock on the date of the change in control, and cancel any option or stock appreciation right without any payment if its exercise price exceeds the value of our common stock on the date of the change in control; (g) cancel any stock unit or performance unit held by a participant affected by the change in control in exchange for cash and/or other substitute consideration with a value equal to the fair market value per share of common stock on the date of the change in control, or (h) make such other modifications, adjustments or amendments to outstanding awards as the Compensation Committee deems necessary or appropriate.

 

Amendment, Termination. The 2016 Plan will remain in effect until March 2016,2026, or, if earlier, when awards have been granted covering all available shares under the 2016 Plan or the 2016 Plan is otherwise terminated by the Board. The Board may amend the terms of awards in any manner not inconsistent with the 2016 Plan, provided that no amendment shall adversely affect the rights of a participant with respect to an outstanding award without the participant’s consent. In addition, our Board of Directors may at any time amend, suspend, or terminate the 2016 Plan, provided that (i) no such amendment, suspension or termination shall materially and adversely affect the rights of any participant under any outstanding award without the consent of such participant and (ii) to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with any applicable law, regulation, or stock exchange rule, the 2016 Plan requires us to obtain stockholder consent. Stockholder approval is required for any plan amendment that increases the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2016 Plan or changes the persons or classes of persons eligible to receive awards.

 

Tax Withholding.Withholding. The Company has the power and right to deduct or withhold, or require a participant to remit to the Company, the minimum statutory amount to satisfy federal, state, and local taxes, domestic or foreign, required by law or regulations to be withheld.

 

Recoupment Policy.Awards granted under the 2016 Plan will be subject to any provisions of applicable law providing for the recoupment or clawback of incentive compensation, such as provisions imposed pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; the terms of any Company recoupment, clawback or similar policy in effect at the time of grant of the award; and any recoupment, clawback or similar provisions that may be included in the applicable award agreement.

 

Federal Income Tax Consequences.Consequences. The following is a brief summary of the U.S. federal income tax consequences applicable to awards granted under the 2016 Plan based on the federal income tax laws in effect on the date of this Proxy Statement.prospectus. This summary is not intended to be exhaustive and does not address all matters relevant to a particular participant based on his or her specific circumstances. The summary expressly does not discuss the income tax laws of any state, municipality, or non-U.S. taxing jurisdiction, or the gift, estate, excise (including the rules applicable to deferred compensation under Code Section 409A), or other tax laws other than federal income tax law. The following is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purposes of avoiding taxpayer penalties. Because individual circumstances may vary, the Company advises all participants to consult their own tax advisor concerning the tax implications of awards granted under the 2016 Plan.

 

A recipient of a stock option or stock appreciation right will not have taxable income upon the grant of the stock option or stock appreciation right. For non-statutory stock options and stock appreciation rights, the participant will recognize ordinary income upon exercise in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the shares and the exercise price on the date of exercise. Any gain or loss recognized upon any later disposition of the shares generally will be a capital gain or loss.

 

The acquisition of shares upon exercise of an incentive stock option will not result in any taxable income to the participant, except, possibly, for purposes of the alternative minimum tax. The gain or loss recognized by the participant on a later sale or other disposition of such shares will either be long-term capital gain or loss or ordinary income, depending upon whether the participant holds the shares for the legally-required period (two years from the date of grant and one year from the date of exercise). If the shares are not held for the legally-required period, the participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the lesser of (i) the difference between the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise and the exercise price, or (ii) the difference between the sales price and the exercise price, and the balance of the gain, if any, will be afforded capital gain treatment.

 

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For awards of stock grants, the participant will not have taxable income upon the receipt of the award (unless the participant elects to be taxed at the time of the stock is granted rather than when it becomes vested). The stock grants will generally be subject to tax upon vesting as ordinary income equal to the fair market value of the shares at the time of vesting less the amount paid for such shares (if any).

 

A participant is not deemed to receive any taxable income at the time an award of restricted stock units is granted. When vested restricted stock units (and dividend equivalents, if any) are settled and distributed, the participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of shares received less the amount paid for such restricted stock units (if any).

 

If the participant is an employee or former employee, the amount a participant recognizes as ordinary income in connection with any award is subject to withholding taxes (not applicable to incentive stock options) and the Company is allowed a tax deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant. In addition, Code Section 162(m) contains special rules regarding the federal income tax deductibility of compensation paid to the Company’s chief executive officer and to certain of the Company’s other executive officers. The general rule is that annual compensation paid to any of these specified executives will be deductible only to the extent that it does not exceed $1,000,000. However, the Company can preserve the deductibility of certain compensation in excess of $1,000,000 if such compensation qualifies as “performance-based compensation” by complying with certain conditions imposed by the Code Section 162(m) rules (including the establishment of a maximum number of shares with respect to which awards may be granted to any one employee during one fiscal year).

 

Option Grants and Stock Awards

 

As of September 30, 2016,December 31, 2020, we had outstanding stock options to purchase 2,742,2295,597,861 shares at an average exercise price of approximately $1.05$1.34 per share. Included in the total outstanding stock options were 117,7850 stock options granted under the 2006 Plan in 2016 at an exercise price of $1.252020 and 1,333,2991,762,495 nonqualified stock options granted under the 2016 Plan in 20162020 to our executive officers and others at an exercise price of $1.25$1.75 per share.

 

All awards to be made under the 2016 Plan are discretionary, subject to the terms of the 2016 Plan. Therefore, the benefits and amounts that will be received or allocated under the 2016 Plan are generally not determinable at this time. The equity grant program for our non-employee directors is described under the Compensation of Directors section in this proxy statement. The following table summarizes these 2016 awards to our named executive officers, all executive officers and the non-executive officer employees and consultants.

 

New Plan Benefits Table

Name and Position

 

Number of Units

(options)

 

Garo H. Armen, Executive Chairman

  500,000 (1)

Alexander K. Arrow, Chief Financial Officer

  140,000 (1)

Non-Executive Director Group

  325,000 (2)

Non-Executive Officer Employee/Consultant Group

  368,299 (3)

_________________

Name and Position 

Number of Units

(options)

 
Garo H. Armen, Executive Chairman  1,050,000(1)
Alexander K. Arrow, Chief Financial Officer  689,162(2)
Non-Executive Director Group (Mrs. Silverman, Corvese, Barrage, and Dr. Buell)  930,000(3)
Non-Executive Officer Employee/Consultant Group (Dr. Slee, Dr. Stein, Mr. Z. Armen)  1,095,000(4)

 

(1)

These options came from three grants in the 2016 plan: 500,000 options granted on April 15, 2016 with an exercise price of $1.25 per share, 250,000 options granted October 16, 2017 with an exercise price of $1.75 per share, and 300,000 options granted Feb 13, 2020 with an exercise price of $1.75 per share, each of which vest over three years in monthly installments.

 

(2)

175,000These options came from six grants in the 2016 plan: 140,000 options granted April 15, 2016 with an exercise price of these$1.25 per share, 75,000 options vest over two years in equal monthly installments,granted October 16, 2017 with an exercise price of $1.25 per share, 41,667 options granted Feb 1, 2019 with an exercise price of $1.00 per share, 187,497 options granted Feb 13, 2020 with an exercise price of $1.75 per share, 120,000 options granted Feb 13, 2020 with an exercise price of $1.75 per share, and 150,000 are fully vested.

124,998 options granted July 18, 2020 with an exercise price of $1.75 per share, with various vesting schedules.
 

(3)

10,000These options have exercise prices of theseeither $1.25 or $1.75 per share with various vesting schedules

(4)These options vest over one year in equal monthly installments, 100,000have exercise prices of these options vest over three years in equal monthly installments, and 258,299 of these options vest over 4 years in equal monthly installments.

either $1.25 or $1.75 with various vesting schedules

 

Director Compensation

 

During fiscal year 2015 we did not compensate directors who were not employees of the Company. On a going-forward basis we intend to make grants of options under the 2016 Plan, if it is adopted by our stockholders, to our non-employee directors, as follows:

 

On April 15 of each fiscal year, each non-employee directors will receive an option to purchase 40,000 shares of common stock, as well as an option to purchase 5,000 shares for each committee which they chair. No additional options shall be granted for serving on a committee without being its chair. All options will be granted at fair market value, as defined in the 2016 Plan, on the date of grant, and will vest over a three-year period in equal monthly installments. Vesting will accelerate in certain circumstances, such as a change of control of the Company, and unvested options will terminate upon the cessation of an individual’s service to us as a director.

 

Non-employee directors may be reimbursed for their reasonable expenses in attending Board and committee meetings.

 

We entered into a consulting agreement with Robert B. Stein, PhD, MD, which is described above.

 

PRINCIPALSTOCKHOLDERS

Name and address of

Beneficial Owner

 

Amount of

Beneficial

Ownership

  

Percent of

Beneficial

Ownership

 
         

Garo H. Armen(1)

  3,882,713 (2)  33 
         

Robert B. Stein(1)

  79,995 (3)  * 
         

Khalil Barrage(1)

  211,250 (4)  2 
         

Alexander K. Arrow(1)

  163,818 (5)  1.6 
         

Larry N. Feinberg

808 North St.,

Greenwich, CT 06831

  800,000 (6)  7.2 
         

Gregory H. Ekizian(1)

  611,250 (7)  5.6 
         

David A. Lovejoy

  429,017 (8)  4 
         

Josh Silverman(1)

  11,250 (9)  * 
         

Strategic Bio Partners LLC (10)

777 Third Avenue

30th Floor

New York, NY 10017

  1,225,819 (11)  9.99 
         

All directors and executive officers as a group (6 persons)

  4,960,276 (12)  42.2 


 

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of the Common Stock as of April 15, 2021, unless otherwise indicated, by (1) each person known by the Company to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of common stock, (2) each director of the Company, (3) the Company’s current executive officers, and (4) all current directors and executive officers of the Company as a group. The persons and entities named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all such shares owned by them, unless otherwise indicated.

  Shares Beneficially Owned Prior to Offering  Shares Beneficially Owned After Offering 
Name of Beneficial Owner* Number and Nature  Percent  Number and Nature  Percent 
             
Garo H. Armen(1)  4,817,212(2)  35%  4,817,212(2)  29%
                 
Robert B. Stein(1)  594,167(3)  5%  594,167(3)  4%
                 
Khalil Barrage(1)  570,000(4)  5%  570,000(4)  4%
                 
Alexander K. Arrow(1)  830,755(5)  7%  830,755(5)  6%
                 
Larry N. Feinberg  800,000(6)  7%  800,000(6)  5%
                 
Brian J. Corvese(1)  215,000(7)  2%  215,000(7)  1%
                 
David A. Lovejoy  582,828(8)  5%  582,828(8)  4%
                 
Josh Silverman(1)  210,000(9)  2%  210,000(9)  1%
                 
Jennifer Buell  55,104(10)  0%  55,104(10)  0%
                 
Andrew Slee  226,823(11)  2%  226,823(11)  2%
                 
Hudson Bay Master Fund  949,530(12)  8%  949,530(12)  7%
                 
Iroquois Master Fund  832,755   7%  832,755   6%
                 
All directors and executive officers as a group (6 persons)  7,519,561(13)  46%  7,519,561(13)  40%

* Less than 1%Unless otherwise noted, address for each party listed in the above table is c/o Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc., 149 Fifth Avenue, Suite 500, New York, NY 10010.

(1) Executive officer and/or director.

 

(2) Includes warrants to purchase 1,253,367 shares of common stock at an exercise price of approximately $1.00 per share. Includes 2,296,012 shares held in the name of Dr. Armen and 250,000 shares held in the name of the Garo H. Armen IRA, as to which Dr. Armen has sole voting and dispositive power. Also includes options to purchase 83,334858,333 shares of common stock.stock at an exercise price of $1.25 or $1.75 per share. Does not include options to purchase 416,666191,667 shares that are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.report. Also includes convertible note of $200,000 that converts at $1.25 per share for a total of 160,000 shares of common stock.

 

(3) Represents options to purchase 79,995594,167 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.25, $1.75, or $5.60 per share. Does not include an options to purchase 143,33345,833 shares in the aggregate that are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.report.

 

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(4) Includes 50,000 shares of common stock and options to purchase 161,250360,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.25 or $1.75 per share. Does not include options to purchase 33,750Also includes convertible note of $200,000 that converts at $1.25 per share for a total of 160,000 shares in the aggregate that are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.common stock.

 

(5) Includes 100,000 shares held in the name of Dr. Arrow and 18,260 shares held in the name of the Alexander K. Arrow IRA, as to which Dr. Arrow has sole voting and dispositive power. Also includes options to purchase 45,558712,495 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00, $1.25 or $1.75 per share. Does not include options to purchase 194,44276,667 shares of common stock in the aggregate that are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.report.

 

(6) Includes 200,000 shares of common stock held in the name of Mr. Feinberg and warrants to purchase 600,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share.

 

(7) Includes 125,000 shares held in the name of the Gregory H. Ekizian Revocable Trust and 100,000 shares and 300,000 warrants held in the name of Pensco Trust Company f/b/o Gregory H. Ekizian, as to which Mr. Ekizian has sole voting and dispositive power. Also includes warrantsoptions to purchase 75,000215,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00$1.75 per share and options to purchase 11,250 shares or common stock. Does not include options to purchase 33,750 shares that are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.share.

 

(8) Includes 148,800 shares of common stock held in the name of Dr. Lovejoy and options to purchase 280,217434,028 shares of common stock in the aggregate with an exercise price ranging from $1.00 to $1.25$1.75 per share. Does not include options to purchase 203,08219,271 shares of common stock that are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.report.

 

(9) Includes options to purchase 11,250210,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.25 or $1.75 per share.

(10) Includes options to purchase 55,104 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.75 or $5.60 per share. Does not include options to purchase 33,750289,896 shares of common stock that are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.report.

 

(10)(11) Includes options to purchase 226,823 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.25, $1.75, or $5.60 per share. Does not include options to purchase 223,177 shares of common stock that are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this report.

(12) Hudson Bay Master Fund Ltd. (the "Managing Member") is the managing member of Strategic Bio Partners, LLC ("SBP"“Managing Member”). Pursuant to SBP's Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement, the Managing Member has delegated to Hudson Bay Capital Management LP ("HBC") full and sole investment discretion and voting control of SBP's portfolio securities. Sander Gerber is the managing member of Hudson Bay Capital GP LLC, which is the general partner of HBC. Each of SBP,HBC, the Managing Member and Sander Gerber disclaims beneficial ownership over these securities.

 

(11)     SBP also holds shares of Series B Preferred Stock convertible into common stock and Predecessor Warrants to purchase common stock. However, the Series B Preferred and the Predecessor Warrants are subject to a "Beneficial Ownership Cap" limitation pursuant to which the holder thereof does not have the right to convert Series B Preferred Stock or exercise the Predecessor Warrants to the extent that such exercise would result in beneficial ownership by the holder thereof, or any of its affiliates and any other persons or entities whose beneficial ownership of common stock would be aggregated with the holder's for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, of more than 9.99% of the total number of shares of common stock issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such conversion or exercise. Disregarding the Beneficial Ownership Cap, SBP would own 2,193,413 shares of common stock, including the shares underlying Series B Preferred Stock and Predecessor Warrants.

(12)(13) Includes warrants to purchase 1,628,3671,253,367 shares of common stock and options to purchase 392,6373,231,992 shares of common stock. Also includes convertible notes of $400,000 that converts at $1.25 per share for a total of 320,000 shares of common stock. 

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CERTAINRELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Other than compensation arrangements for our named executive officers and directors, we describe below each transaction or series of similar transactions, since January 1, 2015, to which we were a party or will be a party, in which:

the amounts involved exceeded or will exceed $120,000; and

any of our directors, executive officers or holders of more than 5% of our capital stock, or any member of the immediate family of the foregoing persons, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

Compensation arrangements for our named executive officers and directors are described in the section entitled “executive compensation.”

Transactions with Predecessor Shareholders

Split-Off

At the closing of the Merger we had a 51% interest in MomSpot LLC, and the remaining 49% was held by B.E. Global LLC. Barry Eisenberg is the sole owner of B.E. Global LLC and is the Chief Executive Officer of MomSpot LLC. Immediately after the closing of the Merger, we split off our 51% membership interests in MomSpot LLC. The split-off was accomplished through the transfer of all of our membership interests of MomSpot LLC to B.E. Global LLC having nominal value of nominal considerations via a split off agreement.

Secured Convertible Notes/Predecessor Warrants

Between February 11, 2014 and December 9, 2015, Atrinsic issued secured convertible promissory notes (the “Secured Convertible Notes”) in the aggregate principal amount of $665,000 and $35,000 in interest to two of its stockholders, of which Secured Convertible Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $332,500 were issued to Iroquois Master Fund Ltd. (“IMF”). Josh Silverman, who became one of our directors upon the closing of the Merger, is an affiliate of IMF. The Secured Convertible Notes, as revised and amended, had a maturity date of August 31, 2016 and bore interest at the rate of 5.0% per annum, payable at maturity. The outstanding principal and accrued interest of each Secured Convertible Note was convertible, subject to a 4.99% beneficial ownership cap), into shares of Atrinsic’s common stock at an initial conversion price of $5.00 per share (subject to adjustment), at the option of the respective holders. IMF exchanged the Secured Convertible Notes that it held for 147,972 Predecessor Warrants, which Predecessor Warrants were issued to the Designee at the closing of the Merger, and the instruments by which the Secured Convertible Notes were secured were simultaneously terminated.

Transactions Relating to Protagenic

Garo H. Armen, our Chairman and principal stockholder, purchased shares of Series B Preferred Stock in the Private Offering in exchange for the cancellation of $350,000 of loans made by him, plus accrued and unpaid interest on these loans.

During 2013 and 2012, Mr. Armen made loans to us in the amount of $310,000. The proceeds of the loans were used to fund research, development and general operating activity of Protagenic. The loans accrued interest at the rate of 10% per annum. In February 2013, in connection with a capital raise by Protagenic, the loans and accrued interest thereon, totaling $317,789, were converted into Protagenic warrants to purchase 953,367 shares of Protagenic common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 per share. Other than with respect to the payment of the purchase price for the securities by the conversion of debt, Mr. Armen participated in this capital raise on the same terms as all other investors.

From April 15, 2015 through October 29, 2015, Mr. Armen made five loans to Protagenic. The proceeds of the loans were used to fund research, development and general operating activity of Protagenic. The loans accrued interest at the rate of 10% per annum. Principal and accrued interest on these loans, totaling approximately $350,000, were converted into shares of Series B Preferred Stock in the Private Offering at a price of $1.25 per share.

On December 21, 2015, Dr. Alexander K. Arrow purchased 60,000 shares of common stock of Protagenic from Mark Berg at a per share purchase price equal to $0.50 for an aggregate purchase price of $30,000. In addition, Dr. Arrow purchased 58,260 shares of Series B Preferred Stock in the Private Offering, on the same terms as all other investors.

Effective December 23, 2015, Mr. Armen entered into an additional loan agreement with Protagenic pursuant to which he agreed to loan Protagenic up to $150,000. The loans under this Agreement accrued interest at the rate of 10% per year. The principal and interest on these loans is convertible into common stock at a price of $1.25 per share. On December 23, 2015, Protagenic borrowed $37,628 of the $150,000 available Borrowings under the agreement.

Effective June 17, 2016, the Board of Directors determined that it was in the best interest of the Company to convert the last remaining portion of debt owed to Mr. Armen into equity, per the terms of the loan agreements. The sum total of remaining debt and accumulated interest as of June 17, 2016 was $75,265 which was converted into 60,211 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at a price of $1.25 per share. 

Merger Transaction

On February 12, 2016, which we refer to as the Merger Closing Date, Atrinsic, Inc., Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. and Protagenic Acquisition Corp., Atrinsic, Inc.’s wholly-owned subsidiary, entered into a merger agreement and completed the merger contemplated by the merger agreement. Pursuant to the merger agreement, on the Merger Closing Date, Protagenic Acquisition Corp. merged with and into Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc., with Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. remaining as the surviving entity and wholly-owned subsidiary of Atrinsic, Inc. On June 17, 2016, we merged our wholly-owned subsidiary Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. with and into the Company and we changed our name from Atrinsic, Inc. to Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.

While we believe that all of these agreements and arrangements are in the best interests of our Company, related parties of the Placement Agent may derive material benefits as the result of these transactions. In addition, related parties of the Placement Agent will have a continuing substantial interest in our Company and will derive substantial benefits from any success of our Company.

 

Policies and Procedures for Related Party Transactions

 

We have adopted a policy that our executive officers, directors, nominees for election as a director, beneficial owners of more than 5% of any class of our common stock, any members of the immediate family of any of the foregoing persons and any firms, corporations or other entities in which any of the foregoing persons is employed or is a partner or principal or in a similar position or in which such person has a 5% or greater beneficial ownership interest, which we refer to collectively as related parties, are not permitted to enter into a transaction with us without the prior consent of our board of directors acting through the audit committee or, in certain circumstances, the chairman of the audit committee. Any request for us to enter into a transaction with a related party, in which the amount involved exceeds $100,000$120,000 and such related party would have a direct or indirect interest must first be presented to our audit committee, or in certain circumstances the chairman of our audit committee, for review, consideration and approval. In approving or rejecting any such proposal, our audit committee, or the chairman of our audit committee, is to consider the material facts of the transaction, including, but not limited to, whether the transaction is on terms no less favorable than terms generally available to an unaffiliated third party under the same or similar circumstances, the extent of the benefits to us, the availability of other sources of comparable products or services and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction.

 

Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions

Other than compensation arrangements for our named executive officers and directors, we describe below each transaction or series of similar transactions, since January 1, 2016, to which we were a party or will be a party, in which:

the amounts involved exceeded or will exceed $120,000; and
any of our directors, executive officers or holders of more than 5% of our capital stock, or any member of the immediate family of the foregoing persons, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

Compensation arrangements for our named executive officers and directors are described in Item 11, Executive Compensation.

Our principal offices are located at 149 Fifth Avenue, Suite 500, New York, New York 10010, in a conference room of Agenus, Inc. We utilize our principal office for quarterly board meetings and our annual shareholder meeting at no cost. Our personnel and consultants all work remotely, the Company’s basic science laboratory work is conducted in the Lovejoy Lab at the University of Toronto, and its preclinical efficacy work is conducted at CROs. Hence the Company does not have the need for a day-to-day physical office location other than a mailing address and conference room facility for meetings. For that reason, the Agenus conference room suits its purposes without imposing any inconveniences upon Agenus. Dr. Armen, our Executive Chairman, is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Agenus Inc.

2019-2020 Convertible Note Offering

Garo H. Armen and Khalil Barrage invested $200,000 and $200,000, respectively, in the Convertible Note Offering, on the same terms as all other Investors.

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DESCRIPTIONOF SECURITIES

The following description is intended as a summary of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (which we refer to as our “charter”) and our bylaws, each of which will become effective prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and which will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and to the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Because the following is only a summary, it does not contain all of the information that may be important to you. For a complete description, you should refer to our charter and bylaws.

 

Our current certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue:

 

 

100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share; and

 

 

20,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, par value $0.000001 per share, of which 18,000,000 shares have been designated as Series B preferred stock and the remainder of which have not been designated.

 

As of December 26, 2016,March 17, 2021, there were 10,261,41910,521,506 shares of common stock outstanding and 872,766 shares of Series B Preferred Stock outstanding.

The following statements are summaries only of provisions of our authorized capital stock and are qualified in their entirety by our certificate of incorporation. You should review these documents for a description of the rights, restrictions and obligations relating to our capital stock. Copies of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be obtained from the Company upon written request. For a description of our common stock, see “Description of Securities – common stock” below and for a description of our Series B Preferred Stock, see “Description of Securities – Preferred Stock” below.

 

Common Stock

Voting. The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters on which the holders are entitled to vote (or consent pursuant to written consent).

Dividends. The holders of our common stock are entitled to receive, ratably, dividends only if, when and as declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available therefor and after provision is made for each class of capital stock having preference over the common stock.

Liquidation Rights. In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, the holders of our common stock are entitled to share, ratably, in all assets remaining available for distribution after payment of all liabilities and after provision is made for each class of capital stock having preference over the common stock.

Conversion Rights. The holders of our common stock have no conversion rights.

Preemptive and Similar Rights. The holders of our common stock have no preemptive or similar rights.

Redemption/Put Rights. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock. All of the outstanding shares of our common stock are fully-paid and non-assessable.

 

Preferred Stock

 

We are authorized to issue up to 20,000,000 shares of “blank check” preferred, which may be issued from time to time in one or more series upon authorization by our board of directors. Our board of directors, without further approval of the stockholders, is authorized to fix the dividend rights and terms, conversion rights, voting rights, redemption rights and terms, liquidation preferences, and any other rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions applicable to each series of preferred stock. Accordingly, our board of directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting, or other rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of our common stock. The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of restricting dividends on our common stock, diluting the voting power of our common stock, impairing the liquidation rights of our common stock, or delaying or preventing a change in control of our company, all without further action by our stockholders. Our board of directors has designated 18,000,000 of our preferred stock as Series B Preferred Stock.

 

Series B Preferred Stock

 

Voting. The holders of our Series B Preferred Stock are entitled to vote together with our common stock as a single class, on all matters on which the holders of the common stock are entitled to vote (or consent pursuant to written consent) Each share of Series B Preferred Stock will have a number of votes equal to one share of common stock.

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Dividends. The holders of Series B Preferred Stock are entitled to share, ratably and on an as-converted basis, in all dividends declared by our board of directors and paid to the holders of our common stock.

 

Liquidation. In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our company, the assets available for distribution to our stockholders will be distributed among the holders of our Series B Preferred Stock and the holders of our common stock, pro rata, on an as-converted-to-common stock basis.

 

Conversion Rights. Under the terms of the Series B Preferred Stock, each share of Series Preferred B Stock was to convert into one sharesshare of our common stock upon the Reverse Split unless (i) to the extent (but only to the extent) such conversion for a Series B Preferred Stock holder would violate the Springing Blocker and (ii) such holder has notified the Company in writing that it wants the Springing Blocker to apply to such holder. We had only one holder of our Series B Preferred Stock that notified the Company that it wanted the Springing Blocker to apply. As a result, only 872,766 shares of our Series B Preferred Stock remains outstanding following the Reverse Split. Any Series B Preferred Stock not converted as a result of this provision would automatically convert into Common Stockcommon stock as soon as such conversion would not violate the Springing Blocker. Our Series B Preferred Stock will cease to be designated as a separate series of our preferred stock when all of such shares have converted into shares of our Common Stock.common stock.

Preemptive and Similar Rights. The holders of our Series B Preferred Stock have no preemptive or similar rights.

Redemption/Put Rights. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to our Series B Preferred Stock. All of the outstanding shares of our Series B Preferred Stock are fully-paid and non-assessable.

Warrants

Predecessor Warrants

After the consummation of the Merger and the simultaneous closing of the other Transaction, Predecessor Warrants were issued to the Designee to purchase 295,945 shares of Series B Preferred Stock in consideration of cancellation of debt. Each Predecessor Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Series B Preferred Stock at a purchase price of $1.25 during the five (5) year period commencing on the Closing Date.

The Predecessor Warrants, at the option of the holder, may be exercised by cash payment of the exercise price to us. The Predecessor Warrants may also be exercised on a cashless basis.

The exercise price and the number of warrant shares purchasable upon the exercise of the Predecessor Warrants are subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events, including stock dividends, stock splits, combinations and reclassifications of our capital stock. Additionally, an adjustment would be made in the case of a reclassification or exchange, consolidation or merger of the Company with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the surviving corporation) or sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in order to enable holders of the Predecessor Warrants to acquire the kind and number of shares of stock or other securities or property receivable in such event by a holder of the number of shares common stock that might otherwise have been purchased upon the exercise of the Predecessor Warrants.

The Predecessor Warrants contain a provision limiting the number of shares of common stock that may be acquired upon exercise to the extent necessary to insure that, after giving effect to such exercise, the number of shares of common stock then beneficially owned by the holder of the Predecessor Warrants and its affiliates and certain other persons does not exceed 9.99% of the total number of shares of common stock of the Company issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.

No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Predecessor Warrants. If, upon exercise of the Predecessor Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, make a cash payment to the Predecessor Warrant holder with respect to such fractional interest.

New Warrants

There are 3,403,367 New Warrants outstanding, all of which were issued in exchange for warrants held by Protagenic warrant holders at the Merger Closing Date. The New Warrants are exercisable at an average price of approximately $1.03 per share and expire at various dates from January 1, 2017 through December 20, 2023. The other material terms of the New Warrants are substantially similar to those of the Predecessor Warrants. There was no physical exchange of Protagenic warrants for New Warrants; rather, Protagenic warrants automatically converted into New Warrants in connection with the Transactions, and the New Warrants will automatically represent the right to purchase the same number of shares of our common stock following the Reverse Split.

Placement Agent Warrants

In connection with the 2016 Private Placement, we issued to Katalyst Securities LLC, our placement agent and its selected dealers warrants to purchase 127,346 shares of Series B Preferred Stock (which became warrants to purchase 127,346 shares of our common stock following the Reverse Split). The Placement Agent Warrants, which contain a “cashless exercise” provision, are exercisable until February 16, 2021 at a price of $1.25 per share.

 Registration Rights

In connection with the 2016 Private Placement, we entered into a registration rights agreement with the private placement investors, the placement agent and a certain holder of our outstanding warrants. We agreed to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the resale of the shares of common stock underlying the Series B Preferred Stock issued in the 2016 Private Placement, as well as the shares of common stock underlying the Placement Agent Warrants and certain other warrants.

We shall keep the registration statement “evergreen” for one year from the date it is declared effective by the SEC or until Rule 144 of the Securities Act is available to the holders of registrable securities issued in connection with the 2016 Private Placement, whichever is earlier.

We will pay all costs and expenses incurred by us in complying with our obligations to file registration statements pursuant to the registration rights agreement, except that the selling holders will be responsible for their shares of the attorney’s fees and expenses and any commissions or other compensation to selling agents and similar persons; provided, however, that, in any registration, each party will pay for its own underwriting discounts and commissions and transfer taxes.

 

Transfer Agent and Registrar

 

American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC is the transfer agent and registrar for our common stock.

 

Dividends

 

We have never declared or paid dividends. We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future, but currently intend to retain any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business. The payment of dividends if any, on our common stock will rest solely within the discretion of our board of directors and will depend, among other things, upon our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, and other relevant factors.

 

Anti-Takeover Effect of Delaware Law, Certain Charter and Bylaw Provisions

 

Our certificate of incorporationIn addition to the provisions included in our Amended and bylaws contain provisions that could have the effect of discouraging potential acquisition proposals or tender offers or delaying or preventing a change of control of our company. These provisions are as follows:

they provide that special meetings of stockholders may be called by the board of directors or at the request in writing by stockholders of record owning at least twenty (20%) percent of the issued and outstanding voting shares of common stock;

they do not include a provision for cumulative voting in the election of directors. Under cumulative voting, a minority stockholder holding a sufficient number of shares may be able to ensure the election of one or more directors. The absence of cumulative voting may have the effect of limiting the ability of minority stockholders to effect changes in our board of directors; and

they allow us to issue, without stockholder approval, up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock that could adversely affect the rights and powers of the holders of our common stock.

 WeRestated Certificate and Bylaws, we are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, an anti-takeover law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in the following prescribed manner:

 

 

prior to the time of the transaction, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

 

upon completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding (1) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (2) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; and

 

 

on or subsequent to the time of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

 

Generally, for purposes of Section 203, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or, within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, owned 15% or more of a corporation’s outstanding voting securities.

Warrants to be Sold to the Public

General. Each warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $4.98 per share, which is a 20% premium over the unit price of the securities offered hereby. This exercise price will be adjusted if specific events, summarized below, occur. A holder of warrants will not be deemed a holder of the underlying stock for any purpose until the warrant is exercised.

Form and Exchange Listing. We have applied for the listing of the warrants offered in this offering on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “PTIXW”. No assurance can be given that such listing will be approved or that a trading market will develop. Warrant Agent. The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agency agreement between American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as warrant agent, and us. The warrants shall initially be represented only by one or more global warrants deposited with the warrant agent, as custodian on behalf of The Depository Trust Company (DTC) and registered in the name of Cede & Co., a nominee of DTC, or as otherwise directed by DTC.

Exercisability. The warrants are exercisable at any time after their original issuance and at any time up to the date that is five years after their original issuance. The warrants will be exercisable, at the option of each holder, in whole or in part by delivering to us a duly executed exercise notice and, at any time a registration statement registering the issuance of the shares of Common Stock underlying the warrants under the Securities Act is effective and available for the issuance of such shares, or an exemption from registration under the Securities Act is available for the issuance of such shares, by payment in full in immediately available funds for the number of shares of Common Stock purchased upon such exercise. If a registration statement registering the issuance of the shares of Common Stock underlying the warrants under the Securities Act is not effective or available and an exemption from registration under the Securities Act is not available for the issuance of such shares, the holder may, in its sole discretion, elect to exercise the warrant through a cashless exercise, in which case the holder would receive upon such exercise the net number of shares of Common Stock determined according to the formula set forth in the warrant. No fractional shares of Common Stock will be issued in connection with the exercise of a warrant. In lieu of fractional shares, we will pay the holder an amount in cash equal to the fractional amount multiplied by the exercise price.

Exercise Price. The exercise price per share of common stock purchasable upon exercise of the warrants is $4.98 per share or 120% of the public offering price for each share of common stock and accompanying warrants in this offering. The exercise price is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of certain stock dividends and distributions, stock splits, stock combinations, reclassifications or similar events affecting our Common Stock and also upon any distributions of assets, including cash, stock or other property to our stockholders.

Transferability. Subject to applicable laws, the warrants may be offered for sale, sold, transferred or assigned without our consent.

Redemption. Beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus, the warrants will be redeemable at our option, in whole or in part, at a redemption price equal to $0.025 per warrant upon 30 days’ prior notice (which may be made via publication of a press release), at any time after the date on which the closing price of our common stock has equaled or exceeded $7.26 (175% of the public offering price of the units) for at least five consecutive trading days, provided we have a current and effective registration statement available covering the exercise of the warrants. Notice of redemption may be made via publication of a press release or any other lawful means. If notice of redemption is made via publication of a press release, no other form of notice or publication will be required. If we call the warrants for redemption, the holders of the warrants will then have to decide whether to sell warrants, exercise them before the close of business on the business day preceding the specified redemption date or hold them for redemption.

Adjustments in Certain Events. We will make adjustments to the terms of the warrants if certain events occur as described below. If prior to the exercise of any warrants, we effect one or more stock splits, stock dividends or other increases or reductions of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding without receiving compensation therefor in money, services or property, the number of shares of common stock subject to the warrants shall (i) if a net increase shall have been effected in the number of outstanding shares of common stock, be proportionately increased, and the exercise price payable per share of common stock subject to the warrant shall be proportionately reduced, and, (ii) if a net reduction shall have been effected in the number of outstanding shares of the common stock, be proportionately reduced and the exercise price payable per share of common stock subject to the warrant shall be proportionately increased. We may, in our sole discretion, lower the exercise price per share of common stock subject to the warrant at any time prior to the expiration date for a period of not less than 20 days.

In the event of a capital reorganization or reclassification of our common stock, the warrants will be adjusted so that thereafter each warrant holder will be entitled to receive upon exercise the same number and kind of securities that such holder would have received if the warrant had been exercised before the capital reorganization or reclassification of our common stock.

If we merge or consolidate with another corporation, or if we sell our assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to another corporation, we will make provisions so that warrantholders will be entitled to receive upon exercise of a warrant the kind and number of securities, cash or other property that would have been received as a result of the transaction by a person who was our stockholder immediately before the transaction and who owned the same number of shares of common stock for which the warrant was exercisable immediately before the transaction. No adjustment to the warrants will be made, however, if a merger or consolidation does not result in any reclassification or change in our outstanding common stock.

Rights as a Stockholder. Except as otherwise provided in the warrants or by virtue of such holder’s ownership of shares of our common stock, the holder of a warrant does not have the rights or privileges of a holder of our common stock, including any voting rights, until the holder exercises the warrant.

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SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

Sale of restricted shares

Based on the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of April 15, 2021, upon the closing of the offering, and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units, we will have outstanding 13,250,603 shares of common stock. This includes the 2,650,000 shares that we are selling in the offering, but does not include 2,650,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the exercise of the warrants. Following this offering, 5,734,666 shares will be restricted as a result of securities laws or lock-up agreements but may be able to be sold commencing 180 days after the offering.

All of the shares of common stock to be sold in the offering, and any shares sold upon exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units, will be freely tradable in the public market without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, unless the shares are held by any of our “affiliates” as such term is defined in Rule 144 of the Securities Act. All remaining shares of common stock held by existing stockholders immediately prior to the consummation of this offering will be freely tradable as well, but for any “restricted securities” as such term is defined in Rule 144 that will then be held by our “affiliates”. These restricted securities will only be eligible for public sale if registered under the Securities Act or if they qualify for an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, including the exemptions provided by Rule 144 or Rule 701, which rules are summarized below. As a result of the contractual 180-day lock-up period described below and the provisions of Rule 144 and 701 of the Securities Act, the restricted securities will be available for sale in the public markets as follows:

Date Available for SaleShares Eligible for SaleDescription
Date of ProspectusShares registered for issuance under the offering
Share of unrestricted common stock not registered in the offering not otherwise subject to lock-up
Shares of restricted stock eligible for resale under Rule 144 and 701 and not otherwise subject to lockup
180 Days after Prospectus DateLock-up shares released and saleable under Rules 144 and 701

Rule 144

In general, under Rule 144, as currently in effect, once we have been subject to the public company reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, for at least 90 days, a person (or persons whose shares are required to be aggregated) who is not deemed to have been one of our “affiliates” for purposes of Rule 144 at any time during the three months preceding a sale, and who has beneficially owned restricted securities within the meaning of Rule 144 for at least six months, including the holding period of any prior owner other than one of our “affiliates,” is entitled to sell those shares in the public market (subject to the lock-up agreement referred to below, if applicable) without complying with the manner of sale, volume limitations or notice provisions of Rule 144, but subject to compliance with the public information requirements of Rule 144. Rule 144(a)(1) defines an “affiliate” of an issuing company as a person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with, such issuer. Directors, officers and holders of ten percent or more of the Company’s voting securities (including securities which are issuable within the next sixty days) are deemed to be affiliates of the issuing company. If such a person has beneficially owned the shares proposed to be sold for at least one year, including the holding period of any prior owner other than “affiliates,” then such person is entitled to sell such shares in the public market without complying with any of the requirements of Rule 144 (subject to the lock-up agreement referred to below, if applicable). In general, under Rule 144, as currently in effect, once we have been subject to the public company reporting requirements of the Exchange Act for at least 90 days, our “affiliates,” as defined in Rule 144, who have beneficially owned the shares proposed to be sold for at least six months, including the holding period of any prior owner other than one of our “affiliates,” are entitled to sell in the public market, upon expiration of any applicable lock-up agreements and within any three-month period, a number of those shares of our common stock that does not exceed the greater of:

1% of the number of common shares then outstanding, which will equal approximately 158,000 shares of common stock immediately after this offering (calculated assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares and no exercise of outstanding options or warrants); or

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the average weekly trading volume of our common stock on the Nasdaq during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to such sale.

Such sales under Rule 144 by our “affiliates” or persons selling shares on behalf of our “affiliates” are also subject to certain manner of sale provisions, notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us. Notwithstanding the availability of Rule 144, the holders of substantially all of our restricted securities have entered into lock-up agreements as referenced above and their restricted securities will become eligible for sale (subject to the above limitations under Rule 144) upon the expiration of the restrictions set forth in those agreements.

Rule 701

The Rule 701 exemption is not available to Exchange Act reporting companies. In general, under Rule 701 as currently in effect, any of our employees, directors, officers, consultants or advisors who acquired common stock from us in connection with a written compensatory stock or option plan or other written agreement in compliance with Rule 701 under the Securities Act before the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part (to the extent such common stock is not subject to a lock-up agreement) is entitled to rely on Rule 701 to resell such shares beginning 90 days after we become subject to the public company reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. Our affiliates can resell shares in reliance on Rule 144 without having to comply with the holding period requirement, and non-affiliates of the Company can resell shares in reliance on Rule 144 without having to comply with Rule 144’s current public information and holding period requirements in Rule 144. Accordingly, subject to any applicable lock-up agreements, beginning 90 days after we become subject to the public company reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, under Rule 701 persons who are non-affiliates may resell those shares without complying with the minimum holding period or public information requirements of Rule 144, and affiliates of the Company may resell those shares without compliance with Rule 144’s minimum holding period requirements.

Lock-up Agreements

We and our executive officers, directors and certain affiliates, have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus supplement, not to offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly any shares of common stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock either owned as of the date of the underwriting agreement or thereafter acquired without the prior written consent of the representative. The representative may, in its sole discretion and at any time or from time to time before the termination of the lock-up period, without notice, release all or any portion of the securities subject to lock-up agreements.

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UNDERWRITING

Kingswood Capital Markets, division of Benchmark Investments, Inc. is the representative of each of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in an underwriting agreement among us and the underwriters, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, and each of the underwriters has agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase from us, the number of units set forth opposite its name below.

UnderwritersNumber of Units
Kingswood Capital Markets, division of Benchmark Investments, Inc.
Brookline Capital Markets, a division of Arcadia Securities, LLC

WestPark Capital, Inc.

Total

We have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act relating to losses or claims resulting from material misstatements in or omissions from this prospectus, the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, certain free writing prospectuses that may be used in the offering and in certain marketing materials used in connection with this offering and to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

The underwriters are offering the units, subject to prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by them, subject to approval of legal matters by their counsel, including the validity of the units, and other conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, such as the receipt by the underwriters of officers’ certificates and legal opinions. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.

 

Stockholder Action by Written ConsentOver-Allotment Option

 

Our Amended and Restated CertificateWe have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of Incorporation, as amended, provides thatthis prospectus, to purchase up to 397,500 additional units at the public offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus less the underwriting discount. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, action required by law to be taken at any annual or special meeting made in connection with the offering of the stockholdersunits offered by this prospectus. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter will become obligated, subject to certain conditions, to purchase about the same percentage of the additional units as the number listed next to the underwriter’s name in the preceding table bears to the total number of units listed next to the names of all underwriters in the preceding table.

Discount, Commissions and Expenses

The following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discount and proceeds before expenses to us. The information assumes either no exercise or full exercise by the underwriters of their overallotment option.

Per Unit

No ExerciseFull Exercise
Public offering price$$$
Underwriting discount
Proceeds, before expenses, to Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.

The underwriters initially propose to offer part of the units directly to the public at the offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus and part to certain dealers. After the initial offering of the units, the offering price and other selling terms may from time to time be varied by the representative.

The estimated offering expenses payable by us, exclusive of the underwriting discounts, are approximately $0.55 million, which includes legal, accounting and printing costs, expenses incurred and various other fees associated with the registration and listing of our common stock. We have also agreed to pay the expenses of the underwriters in connection with the offering, including filing fees and investor presentation expenses, as well as underwriters’ counsel legal fees, up to an aggregate $150,000 and a 1.0% non-accountable expense allowance.

76

Representative Restricted Shares

In connection with the closing of this offering, we will issue to the Representative shares of common stock, representing 2.50% of the aggregate number of shares sold in this offering, excluding the shares of common stock underlying the warrants (the “representative shares”). The representative shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and the Representative has agreed to a lock-up for a period of 360 days immediately following the date of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part pursuant to Rule 5110(e)(1) of the FINRA Manual. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), these representative shares will not be sold during the offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 360 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or commencement of sales of the public offering, except to any underwriter or selected dealer participating in the offering and their bona fide officers or partners, provided that all securities so transferred remain subject to the lockup restriction above for the remainder of the time period.

Lock-Up Agreements

We and our executive officers, directors and certain affiliates, have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus supplement, not to offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly any shares of common stock or any action which may be taken at such a meeting may be takensecurities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock either owned as of the date of the underwriting agreement or thereafter acquired without a meeting bythe prior written consent of the stockholdersrepresentative. The representative may, in lieuits sole discretion and at any time or from time to time before the termination of a meeting.the lock-up period, without notice, release all or any portion of the securities subject to lock-up agreements.

 

Choice of ForumListing

 

Our Certificateshares of Incorporation,common stock are currently listed on the OTCQB Marketplace under the symbol “PTIX.” We have applied to list our common stock and warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “PTIX” and “PTIXW,” respectively. We believe that upon the completion of the offering contemplated, we will meet the standards for listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market or other national exchange. There can be no assurance that our common stock and/or warrants will be approved for listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

Price Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids

Until the distribution of the shares is completed, SEC rules may limit underwriters and selling group members from bidding for and purchasing shares of our common stock. However, the representatives may engage in transactions that stabilize the price of our common stock, such as amended, providesbids or purchases to peg, fix or maintain that unless we consentprice.

In connection with this offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell shares of our common stock in writingthe open market. These transactions may include short sales, purchases on the open market to cover positions created by short sales and stabilizing transactions. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of shares than they are required to purchase in this offering. “Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ overallotment option described above. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their overallotment option or purchasing shares in the open market. In determining the source of shares to close out the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the selectionprice at which they may purchase shares through the overallotment option. “Naked” short sales are sales in excess of the overallotment option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of our common stock in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of various bids for or purchases of shares of our common stock made by the underwriters in the open market prior to the closing of this offering.

The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representatives have repurchased shares sold by or for the account of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriters’ purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our common stock. As a result, the price of our common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. The underwriters may conduct these transactions on Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.

None of us or any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our common stock. In addition, none of us or any of the underwriters make any representation that the representative will engage in these transactions or that these transactions, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Electronic Distribution

In connection with this offering, certain of the underwriters or securities dealers may distribute prospectuses by electronic means, such as e-mail. In addition, one or more of the underwriters may facilitate Internet distribution for this offering to certain of their Internet subscription customers. Any such underwriter may allocate a limited number of shares for sale to its online brokerage customers. An electronic prospectus is available on the Internet websites maintained by any such underwriter. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on the websites of any such underwriter is not part of this prospectus.

77

Other

The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full-service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriters and certain of their affiliates have provided from time to time, and may provide in the future, investment and commercial banking and financial advisory services to us and our affiliates in the ordinary course of business, for which they have received and may continue to receive customary fees and commissions. In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Selling Restrictions

This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell to, or a solicitation of an alternative forum, the Court of Chanceryoffer to buy from, anyone in any country or jurisdiction (a) in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized; (b) in which any person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so; or (c) in which any such offer or solicitation would otherwise be unlawful. No action has been taken that would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the Stateshares of Delawarecommon stock or possession or distribution of this prospectus or any other offering or publicity material relating to the shares in any country or jurisdiction (other than the United States) where any such action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, each underwriter has undertaken that it will not, directly or indirectly, offer or sell any shares or have in its possession, distribute or publish any prospectus, form of application, advertisement or other document or information in any country or jurisdiction except under circumstances that will, to the best of its knowledge and belief, result in compliance with any applicable laws and regulations and all offers and sales of shares by it will be made on the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty; any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, our certificate of incorporation, as amended, or our bylaws; or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine.same terms.

 

Canada. The common stock may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the common stock must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus supplement (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.

United Kingdom. This prospectus supplement and any other material in relation to the shares of common stock described herein is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons in the United Kingdom who are “qualified investors” or otherwise in circumstances which do not require publication by the Company of a prospectus pursuant to section 85(1) of the UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Any investment or investment activity to which this prospectus relates is available only to, and will be engaged in only with, investment professionals falling within Article 19(5), or high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2), of the UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 or other persons to whom such investment or investment activity may lawfully be made available (together, “relevant persons”). Persons who are not relevant persons should not take any action on the basis of this prospectus and should not act or rely on it.

78

Switzerland. The securities will not be offered, directly or indirectly, to the public in Switzerland and this prospectus does not constitute a public offering prospectus as that term is understood pursuant to article 652a or 1156 of the Swiss Federal Code of Obligations.

European Economic Area. In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area that has implemented the European Prospectus Directive (each, a “Relevant Member State”), an offer of our shares may not be made to the public in a Relevant Member State other than:

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor, as defined in the European Prospectus Directive;

to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the European Prospectus Directive), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives for any such offer; or

in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the European Prospectus Directive;

provided that no such offer of our shares shall require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the European Prospectus Directive or supplement prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the European Prospectus Directive.

For the purposes of this description, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the securities in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the securities, as the expression may be varied in that Relevant Member State by any measure implementing the European Prospectus Directive in that member state, and the expression “European Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments hereto, including the 2010 PD Amending Directive, to the extent implemented in the Relevant Member State) and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State. The expression 2010 PD Amending Directive means Directive 2010/73/EU.

We have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary on our behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters and their respective affiliates, with a view to the final placement of the securities as contemplated in this document. Accordingly, no purchaser of the shares, other than the underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of shares on our behalf or on behalf of the underwriters.

LEGALMATTERS

 

The validity of the securities offered in this prospectus is being passed upon for us by Meister Seelig & Fein LLP, New York, New York.Duane Morris LLP. The underwriters are represented by The NBD Group, Inc., Los Angeles, California.

 

EXPERTS

 

Our financial statements as of and for the yearyears ended December 31, 2015 included2020 and 2019 incorporated in this prospectus have been audited by MarcumMaloneBailey, LLP, independent certified public accountants, to the extent as for the periods set forth in their reportregistered accounting firm, and are included in reliance on suchtheir report given upon(the report on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting. Our financial statements contains an explanatory paragraph regarding the Company’s ability to continue as of and for the year ended December 31, 2014 included in this prospectus have been audited by Schulman Lobel Zand Katzen Williams & Blackman LLP, independent certified public accountants, to the extent as for the periods set forth in their report and are included in reliance on such reporta going concern) given upon the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

79

DISCLOSUREINCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF COMMISSION POSITION ON INDEMNIFICATION FOR SECURITIES ACT LIABILITIESCERTAIN INFORMATION

Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. is a reporting company and files annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with the SEC. The rules of the SEC allow us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with them, which means we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. This prospectus incorporates by reference the documents set forth below that have been previously filed with the SEC and any future filings that we make with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (in each case other than those documents or portions of those documents not deemed to have been filed in accordance with SEC rules) between the date of this prospectus and the termination of the offering of the securities to be issued under the registration statement:

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 25, 2021.

Any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or in any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

We will provide to each person to whom a prospectus is delivered, including any beneficial owner, a copy of any document incorporated by reference in the prospectus (excluding any exhibits to those documents unless the exhibit is specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit in that document) at no cost, upon written or oral request at the following address or telephone number:

Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.

149 Fifth Avenue

Suite 500

New York, New York 10010

(212) 994-8200

 

Our directorswebsite is www.protagenic.com. We make our electronic filings with the SEC, including our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and officers are indemnifiedamendments to these reports available on our website free of charge as soon as practicable after we file or furnish them with the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law. We also maintain insurance which protectsSEC. The information contained on our officerswebsite is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus and directors against any liabilities incurred in connection with their service in suchshould not be considered a capacity.part of this prospectus.

80

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by us of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of ours in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of our counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

WHEREYOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of our common stock being offered by this prospectus. This prospectus, which isconstitutes part of thethat registration statement, omits certaindoes not contain all of the information exhibits, schedules and undertakings set forth in the registration statement or the exhibits and schedules that are part of the registration statement. Some items included in the registration statement are omitted from the prospectus in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. For further information pertainingwith respect to us and ourthe common stock reference is madeoffered in this prospectus, we refer you to the registration statement and the accompanying exhibits and schedules to the registration statement.filed therewith. Statements contained in this prospectus as toregarding the contents or provisions of any documents referred to in this prospectus are not necessarily complete, and in each instance where a copy of thecontract or any other document has beenthat is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement referenceare not necessarily complete, and each such statement is madequalified in all respects by reference to the full text of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit for a more complete description ofto the matters involved.registration statement.

 

You may read andA copy all or any portion of the registration statement and the accompanying exhibits and any other document we file may be inspected without charge at the office ofpublic reference facilities maintained by the SEC at the Public Reference Room at Station Place, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies20549 and copies of all or any part of the registration statement may be obtained from that office upon the payment of the fees prescribed by the SEC. The public may obtain information on the operation of the public reference facilities in Washington, D.C. by calling the SEC at prescribed rates1-800-SEC-0330. Our filings with the SEC are available to the public from the Public Reference SectionSEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Upon the completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information and periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith, we will file proxy statements, periodic information and other information with the SEC. All documents filed with the SEC are available for inspection and copying at the public reference room and website of the SEC referred to above. We maintain a website at such address. In addition, registrationwww.protagenic.com. You may access our reports, proxy statements and certain other filings madeinformation free of charge at this website as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, the SEC electronically are publicly available through the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. The registration statement, including all exhibits and amendmentsor furnished to, the registration statement, has been filed electronically with the SEC. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference and is not a part of this prospectus.

 

 

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTSPROTAGENIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

 

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

FOR THE YEARS ENDED

DECEMBER 31, 2020 AND 2019

 

 

Page Number

Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. Consolidated Financial Statements – September 30, 2016Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

F-2
 

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2016

  4F-3

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016

  5

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016

  6

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016

  7

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016

  8F-4
  

Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. Audited Consolidated Financial Statements – December 31, 2015and 2014

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2015 and 2014

  F-3

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the Year Ended December 31, 2015 and 2014

  F-4

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Deficit for the Year Ended December 31, 2015 and 2014

F-5

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Year Ended December 31, 2015 and 2014

F-6

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 2015 and 2014

F-7

 

 

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial StatementsREPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

ProtagenicTherapeuticsTo the Stockholders and Board of Directors of

Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaresits subsidiary (collectively the “Company”) as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, changes in stockholders’ deficit, and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Going Concern Matter

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, the Company has suffered recurring losses from operations and has a net capital deficiency that raises substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 2. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting 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.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matters

Critical audit matters are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgements. We determined that there are no critical audit matters.

/s/ MaloneBailey, LLP
www.malonebailey.com
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2017.
Houston, Texas
March 23, 2021

F-2

CONDENSEDPROTAGENIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

  

September 30,

  

December 31,

 
  

2016

  

2015

 
 

(Unaudited)

    

ASSETS

        
         

CURRENT ASSETS

        

Cash and cash equivalents

 $3,488,978  $3,343 

Prepaid expenses

  96,667   - 

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS

  3,585,645   3,343 
         

EQUIPMENT - NET

        
         

Computer

  1,271   1,569 
         

OTHER ASSETS

  -   6,230 
         

TOTAL ASSETS

 $3,586,916  $11,142 
         

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT

        
         

CURRENT LIABILITIES

        

Bridge loan payable - stockholder and accrued interest

 $-  $399,103 

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

  131,568   279,255 

Derivative liability

  516,757   - 

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES

  648,325   678,358 
         

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

        
         

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT)

        

Preferred stock, par value $0.000001: 20,000,000 shares authorized;0 shares designated

  -   - 

Series B convertible preferred stock, $0.000001 par value, 18,000,000 shares authorized,2,796,929 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2016,and 0 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2015, respectively

  3   - 

Common stock, $.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized,8,307,915 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2016 ,7,612,838 shares issued and 6,612,838 shares outstandingat December 31, 2015

  831   761 

Additional paid-in-capital

  11,137,911   5,886,971 

Accumulated deficit

  (8,026,046)  (6,306,297)

Treasury stock, at cost $.001 par value, 1,000,000 shares, for December 31, 2015

  -   (100,000)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

  (174,108)  (148,651)
         

TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT)

  2,938,591   (667,216)
         

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS'EQUITY (DEFICIT)

 $3,586,916  $11,142 
  December 31,  December 31, 
  2020  2019 
ASSETS        
         
CURRENT ASSETS        
         
Cash $671,091  $798,623 
Prepaid expenses  208,156   43,354 
         
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS  879,247   841,977 
         
Equipment - net  -   296 
         
TOTAL ASSETS $879,247  $842,273 
         
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT        
         
CURRENT LIABILITIES        
         
Accounts payable and accrued expenses  571,517   865,047 
Derivative liability  83,670   332,222 
         
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES  655,187   1,197,269 
         
PIK convertible notes payable, net of debt discount  1,081,384   174,821 
PIK convertible notes payable, net of debt discount - related parties  292,412   104,549 
         
TOTAL LIABILITIES  2,028,983   1,476,639 
         
STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT        
Preferred stock, $0.000001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 872,766 shares issued and outstanding in the following classes:        
Preferred stock; par value $0.000001; 2,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding  -   - 
Series B convertible preferred stock, $0.000001 par value; 18,000,000 shares authorized;        
872,766 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019  1   1 
Common stock, $.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized, 10,360,480 and 10,261,419 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019  1,036   1,026 
Additional paid-in-capital  16,719,749   14,687,172 
Accumulated deficit  (17,698,936)  (15,150,201)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss  (171,586)  (172,364)
         
TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT  (1,149,736)  (634,366)
         
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT $879,247  $842,273 

 

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. 

statements

 

 

ProtagenicTherapeutics Inc. and SubsidiaresPROTAGENIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

CONDENSEDCONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(Unaudited)

 

For the three months ended

September 30,

  

For the nine months ended

September 30,

  For the year ended December 31, 
 

2016

  

2015

  

2016

  

2015

 
                

REVENUE

 $-  $-  $-  $- 
                 2020  2019 

OPERATING AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES

                        

Research and development

  114,941   203,814   537,662   265,238   699,797   807,947 

General and administrative

  339,886   157,025   735,394   246,485   1,851,814   1,278,183 

Goodwill impairment

  -   -   404,169   - 
        

TOTAL OPERATING AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES

  454,827   360,839   1,677,225   511,723   2,551,611   2,086,130 
                        

LOSS FROM OPERATIONS

  (454,827)  (360,839)  (1,677,225)  (511,723)  (2,551,611)  (2,086,130)
                        

OTHER (EXPENSE) INCOME

                        
        

Interest income

  332   -   611   -   502   2,813 

Interest expense - stockholder

  -   -   (7,161)  - 

Realized loss on foreign exchange transactions

  (43)  (78,638)  (6,642)  (74,664)
Interest expense  (246,178)  (15,886)
Realized gain on marketable securities  -   4,435 

Change in fair value of derivative liability

  (938)  -   (29,332)  -   248,552   343,857 
                        

TOTAL OTHER (EXPENSE) INCOME

  (649)  (78,638)  (42,524)  (74,664)
TOTAL OTHER INCOME (EXPENSES)  2,876   335,219 
        
LOSS BEFORE INCOME TAX  (2,548,735)  (1,750,911)
        
INCOME TAX EXPENSE  -   - 
                        

NET LOSS

 $(455,476) $(439,477) $(1,719,749) $(586,387) $(2,548,735) $(1,750,911)
                        

COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

                        
                        

Other Comprehensive Loss - net of tax

                        

Foreign exchange translation loss

  (47,750)  (7,816)  (25,457)  (7,925)
Foreign exchange translation gain (loss)  778   (6,647)
                        

TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

 $(503,226) $(447,293) $(1,745,206) $(594,312) $(2,547,957) $(1,757,558)
                        
                

Net loss per share - Basic and Diluted

 $(0.06) $(0.07) $(0.45) $(0.09)
Net loss per common share - Basic and Diluted $(0.25) $(0.17)
                        

Weighted average common shares - Basic and Diluted

  7,956,625   6,612,838   3,826,068   6,612,838   10,339,071   10,261,419 

 

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. statements

 

 

Protagenic Therapeutics Inc. and SubsidiaresPROTAGENIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

CONDENSEDCONSOLIDATED STATEMENTSTATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)DEFICIT

For the Nine MonthsFiscal Years Ended September 30, 2016

(Unaudited)   December 31, 2020 and 2019

 

  

Series B Convertible

Preferred Stock

  

Common Stock

  

Additional Paid-in-

  

Accumulated

  

Treasury Stock

  Accumulated Other Comprehensive   

Stockholders'

(Deficit) 

 
  

Shares

  

Amount

  

Shares

  

Amount

  Capital  (Deficit)  

Shares

  

Amount

  Loss   Equity  
                                         

BALANCE - January 1, 2016

  -  $-   7,612,838  $761  $5,886,971  $(6,306,297) $(1,000,000) $(100,000) $(148,651)  (667,216)
                                         

Merger:

                                        

Atrinsic shares converted

  297,468   1   25,867   3   63,381                   63,385 

Protagenic shares converted

  6,612,838   6   (7,612,838)  (761)  (99,245)      1,000,000   100,000       - 

Warrants issued for exchange of debt

                  340,784                   340,784 

Private offerings, net of expenses

  4,108,460   4           4,761,793                   4,761,797 

Warrants issued to placement agent

                  146,641                   146,641 

Reclassification of warrants to derivative liability

                  (487,425)                  (487,425)

Foreign currency translation (loss)

                                  (25,457)  (25,457)

Stock compensation - stock options

                  450,566                   450,566 

Conversion of series B Preferred Stock

  (8,221,837)  (8)  8,221,837   822   (814)                  - 
                                         

Conversion of Bridge loan

          60,211   6   75,259                   75,265 
                                         

Net loss

                      (1,719,749)              (1,719,749)
                                         
                                         

BALANCE - September 30, 2016

  2,796,929  $3   8,307,915  $831  $11,137,911  $(8,026,046) $-  $-  $(174,108) $2,938,591 
  Series B Convertible Preferred Stock  Common Stock  Additional Paid-in-  Accumulated  Treasury Stock  Accumulated Other Comprehensive  Stockholders’ 
  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount  Capital  (Deficit)  Shares  Amount  Loss  Deficit) 
                               
BALANCE -December 31, 2018  872,766  $1   10,261,419  $1,026  $13,357,920  $(13,399,290)  -  $-  $(170,540) $(210,883)
                                         
Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   4,823   4,823 
Foreign currency translation gain  -       -   -                   (6,647)  (6,647)
Stock compensation - stock options  -   -   -   -   797,761   -       -   -   797,761 
Debt discount from beneficial conversion feature  -   -   -   -   402,000   -   -   -   -   402,000 
Issuance of options for settlement of accounts payable  -   -   -   -   129,491   -   -   -   -   129,491 
                                         
Net loss  -   -   -   -   -   (1,750,911)  -   -   -   (1,750,911)
                                         
BALANCE -December 31, 2019  872,766  $1   10,261,419  $1,026  $14,687,172  $(15,150,201)  -  $-  $(172,364) $(634,366)
                                         
Foreign currency translation gain  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   778   778 
Stock compensation - stock options  -   -   -   -   1,427,084   -   -   -   -   1,427,084 
Stock compensation - warrants  -   -   -   -   107,670   -   -   -   -   107,670 
Debt discount from beneficial conversion feature  -   -   -   -   104,204   -   -   -   -   104,204 
Issuance of options for settlement of accrued payroll  -   -   -   -   93,950   -   -   -   -   93,950 
Stock issued for services  -   -   99,061   10   119,990   -   -   -   -   120,000 
Debt discount from warrants issued to placement agents  -   -   -   -   179,679   -   -   -   -   179,679 
                                         
Net loss  -   -   -   -   -   (2,548,735)  -   -   -   (2,548,735)
                                         
BALANCE -December 31, 2020  872,766  $1   10,360,480  $1,036  $16,719,749  $(17,698,936)  -  $-  $(171,586) $(1,149,736)

 

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. statements

 

 

Protagenic Therapeutics Inc. and SubsidiaresPROTAGENIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

CONDENSEDCONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

  

For the nine months ended September 30,

 
  

2016

  

2015

 
  

(Unaudited)

  

(Unaudited)

 
         

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

        

Net Loss

 $(1,719,749) $(586,387)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used inoperating activities

        

Depreciation expense

  379   107 

Goodwill impairment

  404,169   - 

Stock based compensation

  450,566   358,972 

Interest added on bridge loan

  7,162   11,473 

Legal fees satisfied through issuance of Series B preferred stock

  150,000   - 

Change in fair value of the derivative liability

  29,332   - 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

        

Prepaid expenses

  (96,667)  - 

Other receivables

  6,428   (321)

Other assets

  -   4,147 

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

  (30,131)  51,893 
         

NET CASH USED IN OPERATING ACTIVITIES

  (798,511)  (160,116)
         
         

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES

        

Proceeds from sale of common stock

  -   214,149 

Proceeds from bridge loan

  19,000   - 

Proceeds from issuance of Series B Preferred Stock

  4,283,437   - 
         

NET CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES

  4,302,437   214,149 
         

Effect of exchange rate on cash and cash quivalents

  (18,291)  (17,916)
         

NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

  3,485,635   36,117 
         

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF PERIOD

  3,343   22,733 
         

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF PERIOD

 $3,488,978  $58,850 
         
         

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION

        

Cash paid for interest expense

 $-  $- 

Cash paid for income taxes

 $-  $- 
         

NONCASH TRANSACTIONS

        

Warrants issued to placement agent

 $146,641  $- 

Warrants issued for Atrinsic debt settlement and conversion

 $340,784  $- 

Debt settled with issuance of Series B preferred stock

 $425,265  $- 

Reclassification of warrants to derivative liabilities from equity

 $487,425  $- 

Goodwill recognized in connection withreverse business combination

 $404,169  $- 

Accrued liabilities paid through the issuances of Series B preferred stock

 $125,000  $- 

Series B Preferred stock converted to common stock

 $8  $- 
  For the year ended December 31, 
  2020  2019 
       
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES        
Net Loss $(2,548,735) $(1,750,911)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities        
Depreciation expense  286   339 
Stock based compensation  1,654,754   797,761 
Change in fair value of the derivative liability  (248,552)  (343,857)
Gain on sale of marketable securities  -   (4,435)
Amortization of debt discount  154,899   11,370 
Loss on settlement of accounts payable  -   99,541 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities        
Prepaid expenses  (164,802)  40,044 
Accounts payable and accrued expenses  (196,629)  662,158 
         
NET CASH USED IN OPERATING ACTIVITIES  (1,348,779)  (487,990)
         
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES        
         
Sale of marketable securities  -   250,000 
         
NET CASH PROVIDED BY INVESTING ACTIVITIES  -   250,000 
         
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES        
         
Payment of debt issuance costs  (104,090)  - 
Proceeds from convertible notes  1,177,500   420,000 
Proceeds from convertible notes - related party  150,000   250,000 
         
NET CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES  1,223,410   670,000 
         
Effect of exchange rate on cash and cash equivalents  (2,163)  4,127 
         
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH  (127,532)  436,137 
         
CASH, BEGINNING OF YEAR  798,623   362,486 
         
CASH, END OF YEAR $671,091  $798,623 
         
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION        
Cash paid for interest expense $-  $- 
Cash paid for income taxes $-  $- 
         
NONCASH FINANCING AND INVESTING TRANSACTIONS        
Unrealized (gain) loss on marketable securities $-  $4,823 
Debt discount from beneficial conversion feature $104,204  $252,000 
Debt discount from beneficial conversion feature - related parties $-  $150,000 
Debt discount from warrants issued to placement agents $179,679  $- 
Issuance of options for settlement of accounts payable $93,950  $29,950 

 

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

statements

 

 

PROTAGENIC THERAPEUTICS, INC & SUBSIDIARIESNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

NOTESTO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSDecember 31, 2020 and 2019

 

NOTE 1 –ORGANIZATION AND NATURE OF BUSINESS

 

Company Background

 

Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (“we,” “our,” “Protagenic” or “the Company”) was originally incorporated in Delaware on February 3, 1994 under the name Millbrook Acquisition Corp. The Company was the successor to The Millbrook Press Inc., which was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Antia Publishing Company,is a Delaware corporation which in turn was a wholly-ownedwith one subsidiary of Groupe de la Cite International, a Science Anonyme organized under French law.  In February 1994, the founders of the Company effected a management buyout by forming the Company which purchased substantially all of the assets of The Millbrook Press Inc.

For the next 10 years, the Company was involved in a variety of attempts at creating a profitable, sustainable business model in the publishing and retail sectors, none of which succeeded. On February 6, 2004, the Company filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut and changed its name to MPLC, Inc.

That same year, a biotechnology company called Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (referred to herein as “Prior Protagenic”) was organized on September 29, 2004 in the State of Delaware. On September 14, 2015, Prior Protagenic obtained its renewal and revival of its Delaware charter which had become inoperative effective August 7, 2015. Prior Protagenic was a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, research and development of pre-clinical studies for developing novel, naturally occurring, human neuropeptide-based, brain- active therapeutics for treatment of depression, mood, anxiety and other neurodegenerative disorders. Prior Protagenic was also interested in acquiring exclusive intellectual property rights for peptide-based therapeutics for the treatment of neurological and mood disorders. As a result of the reverse merger discussed below, the Company has adopted Prior Protagenic’s business plan. Once the Company’s planned principal operations commence, its focus will be licensing certain technologies and the continued research of new technologies.

named Protagenic Therapeutics Canada (2006) Inc. (“PTI Canada”) was incorporated, a corporation formed in 2006 inunder the laws of the Province of Ontario, Canada. PTI Canada

The Company was previously known as Atrinsic, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiarycompany that was once a reporting company under the Securities Exchange Act of Prior Protagenic,1934, but that, in 2012 and following the Special Meeting, as defined in Note 7 below, it became a wholly-owned subsidiary2013, reorganized under Chapter 11 of the Company. PTI Canada provides operational supportUnited States Bankruptcy Code and assistance for the implementation of corporate and operational activities conducted in Canada.

emerged from bankruptcy. On January 31, 2007, MPLC, Inc. entered into an exchange agreement with New Motion, Inc., a Delaware corporation formed in March 2005 (“New Motion”), the stockholders of New Motion , and Trinad Capital Master Fund. On May 2, 2007,February 12, 2016, the Company changed its corporate name to New Motion,acquired Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.

As part of (“Prior Protagenic”) through a corporate re-branding strategy, on June 25, 2009, the Company. changed its name to Atrinsic, Inc.  Its new corporate image was as a provider of “digital advertising and marketing services,” primarily digital music, casual games, interactive contests, and communities/lifestyles.

The Reverse Business Combination (Merger)reverse merger.

 

On February 12, 2016, (“Closing Date”), Protagenic Acquisition Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, (which at the time was named Atrinsic, Inc.), merged (the “Merger”) with and into Prior Protagenic. Prior Protagenic was the surviving corporation of the Merger. As a result of the Merger, the Company acquired the business of priorPrior Protagenic and will continuehas continued the existing business operations of Prior Protagenic as a wholly-owned subsidiary. On June 17, 2016, Prior Protagenic merged with and into the Company with the Company as the surviving corporation in the merger. Immediately thereafter, the Company changed its name from Atrinsic, Inc. to Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.

 

On the Closing Date, all of the issued and outstanding (6,612,838) shares of Prior Protagenic common stock converted, on a 1 for 1 basis, into shares of the Company’s Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.000001 per share (“Series B Preferred Stock”). Also on the Closing Date, all of the issued and outstanding options to purchase shares of Prior Protagenic common stock, and all of the issued and outstanding warrants to purchase shares of Prior Protagenic common stock, converted, on a 1 for 1 basis, into options (the “New Options”) and warrants (the “New Warrants”) respectively, to purchase shares of Series B Preferred Stock. New Options to purchase 1,807,744 shares of Series B Preferred, having an average exercise price of approximately $0.87 per share, were issued to Prior Protagenic optionees. New Warrants to purchase 3,403,367 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at an average exercise price of approximately $1.03 per share were issued to holders of Prior Protagenic warrants.

The common stockholders of Atrinsic, Inc. before the Merger (“Predecessor”) retained 25,867 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”). Upon the effectiveness of the Merger, the holders of the Predecessor’s Series A Preferred Stock exchanged all of the issued and outstanding Series A Preferred Stock for an aggregate of 297,468 shares of Series B Preferred Stock. In addition, the holders of options to purchase Predecessor common stock were issued options (“Predecessor Options”) to purchase 17,784 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at $1.25 per share. Warrants (“Predecessor Warrants”) to purchase 295,945 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at $1.25 per share were issued to Strategic Bio Partners, LLC, the designee (the “Designee”) of the holders of the Predecessor’s debt in consideration of the cancellation of such debt amounting to $665,000 in principal and $35,000 in interest.

The Merger is being accounted for as a “Reverse Business Combination,” and Prior Protagenic is deemed to be the accounting acquirer in the merger. Consequently, the assets and liabilities and the historical operations that will be reflected in the financial statements prior to the Merger will be those of Prior Protagenic, and the consolidated financial statements after completion of the Merger will include the assets and liabilities of Prior Protagenic, historical operations of Prior Protagenic and combined operations of Prior Protagenic, Predecessor and the Company from the Closing Date of the Merger. Further, as a result of the issuance of the shares of Series B Preferred Stock pursuant to the Merger, a change in control of the Company occurred as of the date of consummation of the Merger.

The Merger will be treated as a recapitalization of the Company for financial accounting purposes. The historical financial statements of Predecessor before the Merger will be replaced with the historical financial statements of Prior Protagenic before the Merger in all future filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

At the closing of the Merger, Predecessor had a 51% interest in MomSpot, and the remaining 49% was held by B.E. Global LLC. Barry Eisenberg is the sole owner of B.E. Global LLC and is the Chief Executive Officer of MomSpot LLC. Immediately after the closing of the Merger, the Company split off its 51% membership interests in MomSpot. The split-off was accomplished through the transfer of all of its membership interests of MomSpot, having nominal value, to B.E. Global LLC via a split off agreement for nominal consideration.

Immediately after the closing of the Merger, the Company also split off all of its equity interest in 29 wholly-owned subsidiaries of Predecessor. The split-off was accomplished through the sale of all equity interests in these wholly-owned subsidiaries to Quintel Holdings, Inc. for nominal considerations via a split off agreement. These entities had nominal value.

The Private Offering

Concurrently and a condition of the closing of the Merger, we conducted the first closing of an offering (the “Private Offering”) of our Series B Preferred Stock. At the first closing, we sold 2,775,000 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at a purchase price of $1.25 per share, for which we received total gross consideration of $3,468,750. Of this amount, $350,000 consisted of the conversion of outstanding stockholder debt held by Garo H. Armen, our chairmen and a member of our board of directors, and $150,000 of legal expenses incurred by Strategic Bio Partners, LLC, on behalf of the stockholders of Predecessor, in conjunction with and as permitted under the terms of the Merger. On MarchNOTE 2 2016, we completed the second closing of the Private Offering, at which we sold an additional 913,200 shares of Series B Preferred Stock, for total gross proceeds of $1,141,500. On April 15, 2016 we completed the final closing of the Private Offering, at which we issued an additional 420,260 shares of Series B Preferred Stock to accredited investors, for total gross proceeds of $525,325. We paid the Placement Agent and its selected dealers total cash commissions of $159,183 including allowable expenses of $15,000 and $266,727 of additional legal and miscellaneous fees. We also issued Placement Agent Warrants to purchase 127,346 shares of Series B Preferred Stock valued at $146,641 using a Black-Scholes model at an exercise price of $1.25 per share to the Placement Agent and its selected dealers. The Company determined the fair value of the binomial lattice model and the Black-Scholes valuation model to be materially the same. For all three closings, we issued 4,108,460 shares of Series B Preferred Stock and raised total gross proceeds of $4,635,575 and total net proceeds of $4,283,438 (or total gross proceeds of $5,135,575 and total net proceeds of $4,783,438, including the conversion of the $350,000 in principal of stockholder debt, and $150,000 of legal expenses incurred by the Predecessor’s stockholders.

Debt Exchange

Simultaneous with the Merger and the Private Offering, holders of $665,000 of Predecessor debt accompanied with $35,000 in accrued interest exchanged such debt for Predecessor Warrants to purchase 295,945 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at $1.25 per share. The Predecessor Warrants were valued at $340,784 (see Note 6).

The Reverse Split

Our stockholders voted at a special meeting held on June 17, 2016 in favor of, and we effectuated, a 1-for-15,463.7183 reverse stock split of our common stock, or the Reverse Split. Additionally, as a result of the Reverse Split and in accordance with our certificate of designations for our Series B Preferred Stock, our Series B Preferred Stock immediately and automatically converted into our common stock on a 1-for-1 basis other than any Series B Preferred Stock (i) to the extent (but only to the extent) a Series B Preferred Stock holder would beneficially own greater than 9.99% of our common stock (the “Springing Blocker”) and (ii) such holder has notified the Company in writing that it wants the Springing Blocker to apply to such holder. On July 27, 2016, 10,146,000 of the Company’s 11,018,766 outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock were eligible to immediately convert into 10,146,000 shares of the Company’s common stock (accounting for the Reverse Split ratio) with 872,766 shares of Series B Preferred Stock remaining as a result of one holder exercising the Springing Blocker. As of September 30, 2016, 8,221,837 shares of the Series B Preferred Stock were converted into 8,221,837 shares of common stock on the records of the Company, with the balance of the eligible shares of Series B Preferred Stock (1,924,163) being converted on the records of the Company during the fourth quarter of 2016 once all of the administrative paperwork was submitted to the Company’s transfer agent.

Also at this time, the total number of stock which the Company is authorized to issue will be 120,000,000, consisting of 100,000,000 shares of common stock at a par value of $0.0001 per share and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock at a par value of $0.000001 per share. All share and per share amounts for the common stock have been retroactively restated to give effect to the reverse split.

NOTE 2-LIQUIDITY GOING CONCERN

 

As shown in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements, the Company incurred a net loss of $1,719,749 and $586,387 for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively and $455,476 and $439,477 for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The Company has incurred significant reoccurring losses since inception resulting in an accumulated deficit of $8,026,046 as of September 30, 2016. The net loss presented for the three and nine months is attributed to goodwill impairment, an increase in professional fees as related to the Merger, and an increase in stock compensation expense. The net loss present for the prior period was attributed to stock compensation expense and research and development expenses.deficit. The Company anticipates further losses in the development of its business. The Company had a net working capital of $2,937,320 at September 30, 2016negative cash flows used in operations. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a result of the Merger and simultaneous financings. going concern.

Based on its current forecast and budget, Managementmanagement believes that its cash resources will be sufficient to fund its operations for nearly eighteen months fromat least until the dateend of this quarterly report.the third quarter of 2021. Absent generation of sufficient revenue from the execution of the Company’s business plan itand sales revenue is not anticipated before 2024, the Company will need to obtain debt or equity financing by mid- 2018.the third quarter of 2021. Management believes that actions presently being taken to obtain additional funding provide the opportunity for the Company to continue as a going concern, however, management cannot be certain that such plans can be achieved. The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern; no adjustments to the financial statements have been made to account for this uncertainty.

 

NOTE 3 -SUMMARY OF SIGNFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of presentation

 

The accompanying unaudited condensedCompany’s consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and the rules and regulations of the SEC for interim financial information. In the opinionSecurities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

F-7

Principles of the Company’s management, the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting of normal, recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods ended September 30, 2016 and 2015. As this is an interim period financial statement, certain adjustments are not necessary as with a financial period of a full year. Although management believes that the disclosures in these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements are adequate to make the information presented not misleading, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements that have been prepared in accordance U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.consolidation

 

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Atrinsic,Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc., and its wholly owned subsidiary, Protagenic Acquisition Corp, and Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc., which was merged with and into Protagenic Acquisition Corp, on February 12, 2016, as well as Protagenic Therapeutics’ wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary, PTI Canada. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.the consolidated financial statements.

 

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunctionReclassifications:

Reclassifications of prior periods have been made to conform with the Company’s financial statements for thecurrent year ended December 31, 2015, which contains the audited financial statements and notes thereto, for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 included within the Company’s Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on July 12, 2016. The interim results for the three months ended and nine months ended September 30, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ended December 31, 2016 or for any future interim periods.presentation

 

Use of Estimatesestimates

 

The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP 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 consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant estimates underlying the condensed consolidated financial statements include the allocation of the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities associated with the Merger, assessment of intangible assets, including goodwill and income tax provisions, and allowances. The Company also relies on estimates for the valuation of stock-based compensation expensestock options and financial instruments.warrants and assessment of deferred tax asset valuation allowance.

 

Goodwill and indefinite-lived assetsConcentrations of Credit Risk

Goodwill and indefinite-lived assets are not amortized, but are evaluated for impairment annually or when indicators of a potential impairment are present. Our impairment testing of goodwill is performed separately from our impairment testing of indefinite-lived intangibles. The annual evaluation for impairment of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles is based on valuation models that incorporate assumptions and internal projections of expected future cash flows and operating plans.

On the date of the Merger, the Company recorded the fair value of shares given to Predeccesor stockholders as Goodwill, and subsequent to the merger the Company determined that goodwill was impaired and wrote it down to zero. Atrinsic’s assets and liabilities acquired in the Merger had nominal value.

 

The allocationCompany maintains its cash accounts at financial institutions which are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. At times, the Company may have deposits in excess of federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes, based upon the quality of the consideration transferredfinancial institutions, that the credit risk with regard to these deposits is not significant.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. While the Company’s marketable securities are cash equivalents it is the Company’s policy to present them separately on the balance sheet. As of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company did not have any cash equivalents.

Equipment

Equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Cost includes expenditures for computer equipment. Maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as follows:incurred. When assets are sold, retired, or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in operations. The cost of equipment is depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets which is three years. Depreciation expense was nominal for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

Marketable Securities

The Company accounts for marketable debt securities, the only type of securities it owns, in accordance with sub-topic 320-10 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“Sub-topic 320-10”).

Pursuant to Paragraph 320-10-35-1, investments in debt securities that are classified as available for sale shall be measured subsequently at fair value in the consolidated balance sheets at each balance sheet date. Unrealized holding gains and losses for available-for-sale debt securities (including those classified as current assets) shall be excluded from earnings and reported in other comprehensive income until realized.

During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company purchased $0 and sold $250,000 in marketable securities, respectively.

As of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company owned marketable securities with a total value of $0 and $0, respectively. The Company recorded a realized gain on marketable securities of $0 and $4,435 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

As of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company held no marketable securities.

 

Allocated to:

    

Atrinsic 25,867 shares Common stock

 $32,334 

Atrinsic Series A preferred stock as converted to Series B preferredstock, 297,468 shares

  371,835 

Total value of shares issued to Atrinsic on Merger date

  404,169 

Goodwill

  404,169 

Net value of consideration

 $0 
F-8

 

Fair Value Measurements

 

Accounting Standards CodificationASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure,” (“ASC 820”) defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date, not adjusted for transaction costs. ASC 820 also establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels giving the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3).

 

The three levels are described below:

 

Level 1 Inputs – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that is accessible by the Company;

 

Level 2 Inputs – Quoted prices in markets that are not active or financial instruments for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly;

 

Level 3 Inputs – Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability including significant assumptions of the Company and other market participants.

 

Cash equivalents consistingThe carrying amount of money market funds are carried at cost whichthe Company’s financial assets and liabilities, such as cash, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate their fair value duebecause of the short term maturity of those instruments. The carrying value of long-term debt approximates fair value since the related rates of interest approximate current market rates.

Transactions involving related parties cannot be presumed to its short-term nature.be carried out on an arm’s-length basis, as the requisite conditions of competitive, free-market dealings may not exist. Representations about transactions with related parties, if made, shall not imply that the related party transactions were consummated on terms equivalent to those that prevail in arm’s-length transactions unless such representations can be substantiated.

 

The assets or liability’s fair value measurement within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The following table provides a summary of financial instruments that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2016.December 31, 2020.

 

  Carrying  Fair Value Measurement Using 
  Value  Level 1  Level 2  Level 3  Total 
                     
Derivative warrants liabilities $83,670  $  $  $83,670  $83,670 

The following table provides a summary of financial instruments that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2019.

  Carrying  Fair Value Measurement Using 
  Value  Level 1  Level 2  Level 3  Total 
                     
Derivative warrants liabilities $332,222  $  $  $332,222  $332,222 

  

Carrying

  

Fair Value Measurement Using

 
  

Value

  

Level 1

  

Level 2

  

Level 3

  

Total

 
                     

Derivative warrant liabilities

 $516,757  $  $  $516,757  $516,757 
F-9

 

The table below provides a summary of the changes in fair value, including net transfers in and/or out, of all financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) during the nine monthsyear ended September 30, 2016:December 31, 2020 and the year ended December 31, 2019:

 

  

Fair Value

Measurement

Using Level 3

Inputs

 
  

Total

 

Balance, December 31, 2015

 $ 

Issuance of derivative warrants liabilities

  487,425 

Change in fair value of derivative warrant liabilities

  29,332 

Balance, September 30, 2016

 $516,757 
  

Fair Value Measurement

Using Level 3

 
  Inputs Total 
Balance, December 31, 2018 $676,079 
Change in fair value of derivative warrants liabilities  (343,857)
Balance, December 31, 2019 $332,222 
Change in fair value of derivative warrants liabilities  (248,552)
Balance, December 31, 2020 $83,670 

 

The fair value of the derivative feature of the 127,346 and 295,945 warrants issued to the placement agent of the Company’s 2016 private offering (the “2016 Offering”) and to Strategic Bio Partnersa holder of its debt for debt cancellation in connection with the Merger, respectively on the issuance dates and at the balance sheet datedates were calculated using a Black-Scholes option model valued with the following weighted average assumptions:

 

 

February12, 2016

  

September 30, 2016

  December 31, 2019  December 31 2020 
Exercise price  1.25   1.25 

Risk free interest rate

  1.20%  1.14%  1.59%  0.09%

Dividend yield

  0.00%  0.00%  0.00%  0.00%

Expected volatility

  156%  213%  133%  169%

Contractual term (in years)

  5.0   4.25 
Contractual term  1.15 Years   0.14 Years 

 

Risk-free interest rate: The Company uses the risk-free interest rate of a U.S. Treasury Note with a similar expected term on the date of the grant.measurement.

 

Dividend yield: The Company uses a 0% expected dividend yield as the Company has not paid dividends to date and does not anticipate declaring dividends in the near future.

 

Volatility: The Company calculates the expected volatility of the stock price based on the corresponding volatility of the Company’s peer group stock price for a period consistent with the warrants’ expected term.

 

RemainingExpected term: The Company’s remainingexpected term is based on the remaining contractual maturity of the warrants.

 

During the nine monthsyears ended September 30, 2016,December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company marked the derivative feature of the warrants to fair value and recorded a lossgain of $29,332$248,552 and a gain of $343,857 relating to the change in fair value.value, respectively.

 

Impairment

The Company estimates the expected undiscounted future cash flows and operating plans and compares such amounts to the carrying amount of the goodwill to determine if the carrying amount is recoverable. If the carrying amount exceeds the estimated undiscounted future cash flows, the Company will adjust the carrying amount of the goodwill to the fair value. The factors used to determine fair value are subject to management’s judgement and expertise and include, but are not limited to, recent sales prices of comparable companies, the present value of future cash flows, anticipated capital expenditures and various discount rates commensurate with the risk and current market conditions associated with realizing the expected cash flows projected. These assumptions represent Level 3 inputs. Goodwill impairment for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 was $404,169.

Derivative Liability

 

The Company evaluates its options, warrants or other contracts, if any, to determine if those contracts or embedded components of those contracts qualify as derivatives to be separately accounted for in accordance with paragraphASC 815-10-05-4 and Section 815-40-25 of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification.815-40-25. The result of this accounting treatment is that the fair value of the embedded derivative is marked-to-market each balance sheet date and recorded as either an asset or a liability. In the event that the fair value is recorded as a liability, the change in fair value is recorded in the consolidated statementstatements of operations as other income or expense. Upon conversion, exercise or cancellation of a derivative instrument, the instrument is marked to fair value at the date of conversion, exercise or cancellation and then the related fair value is reclassified to equity.

 

The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period. Equity instruments that are initially classified as equity that become subject to reclassification are reclassified to liability at the fair value of the instrument on the reclassification date. Derivative instrument liabilities will be classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement of the derivative instrument is expected within 12 months of the balance sheet date.

The Company utilizes a Black-Scholes option pricing model to compute the fair value of the derivative and to mark to market the fair value of the derivative at each balance sheet date. The Company determined the fair value of the binomial lattice model and the Black-Scholes valuation model to be materially the same. The Company records the change in the fair value of the derivative as other income or expense in the consolidated statements of operations.

F-10

 

Revenue RecognitionStock-Based Compensation

The Company has not begun planned principal operations and has not generated any revenue since inception.

Stock-Based Compensation Expenses

The Company accounts for stock based compensation costs under the provisions of ASC No. 718, Compensation—“Compensation—Stock Compensation,Compensation”, which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense related to the fair value of stock based compensation awards that are ultimately expected to vest. Stock based compensation expense recognized includes the compensation cost for all stock based payments granted to employees, officers, directors,non-employees, and consultantsdirectors based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of ASC No. 718. ASC No.ASC. 718 is also applied to awards modified, repurchased, or canceled during the periods reported.

Stock-BasedIf any award granted under the Company’s 2016 Equity Compensation Plan (the “2016 Plan”) payable in shares of common stock is forfeited, cancelled, or returned for Non-Employees

failure to satisfy vesting requirements, otherwise terminates without payment being made, or if shares of common stock are withheld to cover withholding taxes on options or other awards, the number of shares of common stock as to which such option or award was forfeited, or which were withheld, will be available for future grants under the 2016 Plan. The Company accounts for warrants and options issued to non-employees under ASC 505-50,Equity – EquityBased Payments to Non-Employees, usingrecognizes the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The valueimpact of such non-employee awards is periodically re-measured over the vesting terms and at each quarter end.forfeitures when they occur.

 

Basic and Diluted Net (Loss) per Common Share

 

Basic (loss) per common share is computed by dividing the net (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for each period. Diluted (loss) per share is computed by dividing the net (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding plus the dilutive effect of shares issuable through the common stock equivalents. ForThe effect of dilution on net loss becomes anti-dilutive and therefore is not reflected on the nine months ended September 30, 2016consolidated statements of operations.

  Potentially Outstanding
Dilutive Common Shares
 
  For the Year
Ended
December 31, 2020
  

For the Year

Ended
December 31, 2019

 
         
Conversion Feature Shares        
         
Common shares issuable under the conversion feature of preferred shares  872,766   872,766 
         
Stock Options  5,597,861   3,835,366 
         

Warrants

  4,007,058   3,826,658 
         
Convertible Notes  1,598,000   536,000 
         
Total potentially outstanding dilutive common shares  12,075,685   9,070,790 

Research and 2015, there were 6,418,887Development

Research and 4,801,112, respectively, potentially dilutive optionsdevelopment expenses are charged to operations as incurred.

Foreign Currency Translation

The Company follows Section 830-10-45 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“Section 830-10-45”) for foreign currency translation to translate the financial statements of the foreign subsidiary from the functional currency, generally the local currency, into U.S. Dollars. Section 830-10-45 sets out the guidance relating to how a reporting entity determines the functional currency of a foreign entity (including of a foreign entity in a highly inflationary economy), re-measures the books of record (if necessary), and warrants notcharacterizes transaction gains and losses. Pursuant to Section 830-10-45, the assets, liabilities, and operations of a foreign entity shall be measured using the functional currency of that entity. An entity’s functional currency is the currency of the primary economic environment in which the entity operates; normally, that is the currency of the environment, or local currency, in which an entity primarily generates and expends cash.

F-11

The functional currency of each foreign subsidiary is determined based on management’s judgment and involves consideration of all relevant economic facts and circumstances affecting the subsidiary. Generally, the currency in which the subsidiary transacts a majority of its transactions, including billings, financing, payroll and other expenditures, would be considered the functional currency, but any dependency upon the parent and the nature of the subsidiary’s operations must also be considered. If a subsidiary’s functional currency is deemed to be the local currency, then any gain or loss associated with the translation of that subsidiary’s financial statements is included in accumulated other comprehensive income. However, if the functional currency is deemed to be the U.S. Dollar, then any gain or loss associated with the re-measurement of these financial statements from the local currency to the functional currency would be included in the calculationconsolidated statements of weighted average sharesoperations and comprehensive income (loss). If the Company disposes of common stock outstanding since theyforeign subsidiaries, then any cumulative translation gains or losses would be anti-dilutive. Forrecorded into the nine months ended September 30, 2016consolidated statements of operations and 2015,comprehensive income (loss). If the Company determines that there were 2,796,929 and 0, respectively, potentially dilutive convertible preferred shares not includedhas been a change in the calculationfunctional currency of weighted average sharesa subsidiary to the U.S. Dollar, any translation gains or losses arising after the date of common stock outstanding since theychange would be anti- dilutive.included within the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss).

 

  

Potentially Outstanding

Dilutive Common Shares

 
         
  

For the Nine

Months Ended

September 30,

2016

  

For the Nine

Months Ended

September 30,

2015

 
         

Conversion Feature Shares

        
         
Common shares issuable under the conversion feature of preferred shares  2,796,929   - 
         

Stock Option Shares

  2,592,229   1,647,745 
         

Warrant Shares

  3,826,658   3,153,367 
         

Total potentially outstanding dilutive common shares

  9,215,816   4,801,112 

Based on an assessment of the factors discussed above, the management of the Company determined its subsidiary’s local currency (i.e. the Canadian dollar) to be the functional currency for its foreign subsidiary.

Recent accounting pronouncementsLeases

 

In November 2015, theFebruary 2016, FASB issued ASU No 2015-17, Income TaxesAccounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-02: Leases (Topic 740)842). The amendments in ASU 2015-17 change the requirements for the classification of deferred taxes on the balance sheet. Currently, GAAPnew guidance generally requires an entity to separate deferred income taxrecognize on its balance sheet operating and financing lease liabilities and assets into current and noncurrent amounts in a classified statement of financial position. To simplify the presentation of deferred income taxes, the amendments in this ASU require that deferred tax liabilities and assetscorresponding right-of-use assets. The standard will be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. The pronouncement is effective for fiscal years andthe first interim periodsperiod within those fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. Earlier application is permitted for all entities as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The Company has not yet selected a transition method nor has it determined the effect of the standard on its ongoing financial reporting.

On March 30, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, "Compensation - Stock Compensation" which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions for both public and nonpublic entities, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. For public business entities, the ASU is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those annual reporting periods. Early adoption will be permitted in any interim or annual period for which financial statements have not yet been issued or have not been made available for issuance. If2018 and early adoption is elected, all amendments in the ASU that apply must be adopted in the same period. In addition, if early adoption is elected in an interimpermitted. The new standard requires a modified retrospective transition for existing leases to each prior reporting period any adjustments should be reflected as ofpresented or entered into after, the beginning of the annualearliest comparative period that includes that interim period.presented in the financial statements. This standard was adopted by the Company on January 1, 2018. The Company is inelected the processpackage of evaluating the impact of the standard on its consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases. The main provisions of ASU No. 2016-02 require management to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities for all leases. ASU 2016-02 retains a distinction between finance leases and operating leases. The classification criteria for distinguishing between finance leases and operating leases are substantially similar to the classification criteria for distinguishing between capital leases and operating leases in the previous leases guidance. The result of retaining a distinction between finance leases and operating leases is thatpractical expedients permitted under the lessee accounting model,transition guidance within the effect of leases innew standard, which among other things, allowed the statement of comprehensive income andCompany to carry forward the statement of cash flows is largely unchanged from previous GAAP.historical lease classification. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently assessing the impactadoption of this ASUstandard did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.statements and related disclosures.

 

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15,“Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments”Recent Accounting Pronouncements (“ASU 2016-15”). ASU 2016-15 will make eight targeted changes to how cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-15 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. The new standard will require adoption on a retrospective basis unless it is impracticable to apply, in which case it would be required to apply the amendments prospectively as of the earliest date practicable. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-15 on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements,standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the consolidatedCompany’s financial statements filed with this annual report.statements.

 

NOTE 4 -ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED EXPENSES

 

Accounts payable and accrued expenses consist of the following at:

 

  December 31, 2020  December 31, 2019 
       
Accounting $36,161  $36,161 
Research and development  393,496   650,584 
Legal  -   15,273 
Other  141,860   163,029 
         
Total $571,517  $865,047 

  

September 30,

2016

  

December 31,

2015

 
         

Legal

 $10,723  $186,936 

Salaries

  -   41,166 

Patent expense

  31,315   29,239 

Research and development

  67,560   8,128 

Payroll taxes and employee benefits

  -   6,222 

Other

  21,113   7,564 

Accounting and tax expenses

  857   - 
         
  $131,568  $279,255 
F-12

 

On October 1, 2019, the Company entered into an agreement with a consultant for toxicology studies. The consultant quoted a commitment of approximately $988,000 as an estimate for the study. 50% of the total price was paid upon the signing of the agreement, 35% of the total price is to be paid upon completion of the in-life study, and the remaining 15% of the total price is to be paid upon the issuance of the report. If the Company cancels the study the Company will be required to pay a cancelation fee. If the cancelation happens prior to the arrival of the test animals then the Company will need to pay between 20% and 50% of the animal fees depending on when the cancellation happens. If the cancellation occurs after the animals arrive but before the study begins then the Company will be responsible for paying 50% of the protocol price plus a fee of $7,000 per room/week for animal husbandry until the animals can be relocated or disposed of. If the Company cancels the study after it has begun then the Company will need to pay any fees for procured items for the study and any nonrecoverable expenses incurred by the consultant. As of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company has paid $174,106 and $0 and there is a balance of $319,799 and $493,905 due, respectively.

On February 13, 2020, the Company issued 187,497 options to the Company’s CFO to settle $93,950 in accrued compensations. The difference between the fair value of the options and the liability settled of $163,036 was charged to stock compensation expense during the year ended December 31, 2020. The options are fully vested on issuance, have an exercise price of $1.75, and expire in 10 years from issuance.

NOTE 5 – BRIDGE LOAN PAYABLE – STOCKHOLDER

During January 1, 2015 through February 12, 2016, the Company had entered into a series of bridge loan arrangements for total borrowings received and interest accrued of $422,752 with a major Stockholder and Chairman. The proceeds were used to fund research, development and the general operating activity of the Company. The Company has guaranteed the payment of all principal and interest in the form of the Company’s common stock at a purchase price of $1.25 per share. The loan bears interest at a rate of 10% per annum. The Company recorded interest expense of $7,905 and $0 for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. On February 12, 2016, the Company converted $350,000 in principal and accrued interest on the note into shares of Series B Preferred Stock in the Private Offering at a price of $1.25 per share. On June 17, 2016, the Company converted the remaining $75,265 in principal and accrued interest on the note into shares of Common Stock at a price of $1.25 per share.

NOTE 6 - DERIVATIVE LIABILITIES

 

Upon closing of the private placement transactions on February 12,in 2016, the Company issued 127,346 and 295,945 warrants, respectively, to the placement agent of the private offering2016 Offering and to Strategic Bio Partners, a holder of the Company’s debt, for debt cancellation, respectively, to purchase the Company’s Series B Preferred Stock with an exercise price of $1.25 and a five-year term. Upon the effectiveness of our reverse stock split in July 2016, these became warrants to purchase our common stock on the same terms and conditions. The warrants, if exercised under the cashless provision, do not have an explicit limit on the number of shares that will be issued. The warrants have a cashless exercise feature that requires the Company to classify the warrants as a derivative liability.

 

NOTE 6 – CONVERTIBLE NOTE PAYABLE (PIK NOTES)

NOTE 7 -STOCKHOLDERS’EQUITY (DEFICIT)Convertible Notes Payable

 

On June 17, 2016,During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company heldentered into a Special Meetingseries of Stockholdersunsecured convertible notes (the “Special Meeting”“Convertible Notes”). AtThe Convertible Notes have a total principal amount of $420,000. The Convertible Notes accrue 6% interest per year payable on October 31, 2020 and on the Special Meeting,end of each calendar year thereafter, payable by a corresponding increase in the Company’s stockholders approvedprincipal amount of each Convertible Note that increases to 12% per year (the Default Rate”) in the case a third amendment and restatement (the “Third Amendment and Restatement”default. The Company will pay (a “PIK Payment”) the interest due by adding such interest (including interest at the Default Rate) to the Company’s Amendedthen-outstanding principal amount of the Convertible Notes on each interest payment date and Restated Certificateon the maturity date. Each PIK Payment will be preceded by written notice from the Company to the Convertible Note holder setting forth in reasonable detail the amount of Incorporation, effective July 27, 2016 (the “Effective Time”), to effect a one-for-15,463.7183 reverse splitsuch PIK Payment and the principal amount of the Convertible Note following such PIK Payment. The Convertible Notes are due on November 6, 2023. The Convertible Notes are convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Reverse Stock Split”). Pursuantwith a conversion price of $1.25 per share, subject to adjustment in certain circumstances.

During the Reverse Stock Split, atsecond quarter of 2020, the Effective Time,Company issued additional unsecured Convertible Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $850,000. The notes accrue 6% interest per year payable on October 31, 2020 and on the end of each 15,463.7183 shares of common stock ownedcalendar year thereafter, payable by a stockholder were combined into one new share of common stock, with any fractional shares that would otherwise be issuable as a result of the Reverse Stock Split being rounded up to the nearest whole share. The Third Amendment and Restatement also effected (i) a reduction in the Company’s authorized shares of common stock from 100 billion shares to 100 million shares, (ii) ancorresponding increase in the par valueprincipal amount of each note that increases to 12% per year in the case of the notes entering default. The Company will pay (a “PIK Payment”) the interest due by adding such interest (including interest at the Default Rate) to the then-outstanding principal amount of the Notes on each interest payment date and on the Maturity Date. Each PIK Payment will be preceded by written notice from the Company to the Note holder setting forth in reasonable detail the amount of such PIK Payment and the principal amount of the Note following such PIK Payment. The notes are due on November 6, 2023. The notes are convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock from $0.000001with an exercise price of $1.25 per share to $0.0001 per share and (iii) a reductionshare.

F-13

During the third quarter of 2020, the Company issued additional unsecured Convertible Notes in the Company’s authorizedaggregate principal amount of $327,500. The notes accrue 6% interest per year payable on October 31, 2020 and on the end of each calendar year thereafter, payable by a corresponding increase in the principal amount of each note that increases to 12% per year in the case of the notes entering default. The Company will pay (a “PIK Payment”) the interest due by adding such interest (including interest at the Default Rate) to the then-outstanding principal amount of the Notes on each interest payment date and on the Maturity Date. Each PIK Payment will be preceded by written notice from the Company to the Note holder setting forth in reasonable detail the amount of such PIK Payment and the principal amount of the Note following such PIK Payment. The notes are due on November 6, 2023. The notes are convertible into shares of preferredthe Company’s common stock with an exercise price of $1.25 per share.

The Company has evaluated the terms of the Convertible Notes and determined that there are no derivative features in the Convertible Notes. These Convertible Notes do have a beneficial conversion feature and recorded a total debt discount of $356,204 with $104,204 being recorded in the year ended December 31, 2020.

Katalyst Securities LLC acted as the Company’s placement agent (the “Placement Agent”) for the sale of the Convertible Notes. The Company paid the Placement Agent, including its sub-agents, a commission of 10% of the funds raised from 5 billionthe investors introduced by the Placement Agent. In addition, the Placement Agent will receive warrants to purchase a number of shares of Common Stock equal to 20 million shares.    10% of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes sold to the investors who were introduced to us by the Placement Agent (See note 7). The Company recognized $104,090 in expenses related to the Placement Agent commission for this offering which were recorded as a debt discount. This debt discount and the fair value of the warrants issued to the placement agent of $179,679 are being amortized over the life of the notes from the private placement.

During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company amortized $117,036 and $6,821 of the debt discount, respectively. At December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company had an unamortized debt discount of $516,116 and $245,179, respectively.

As of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company owes $1,597,500 and $420,000 on the outstanding Convertible Notes, respectively.

Maturity Date of Notes for Twelve Months Ending December 31, Amount due 
2021 $- 
2022  - 
2023  1,597,500 
2024  - 
2025  - 
Total $1,597,500 

Convertible Notes Payable – Related Party

During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company issued unsecured Convertible Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $250,000 to related parties. The notes accrue 6% interest per year payable on October 31, 2020 and on the end of each calendar year thereafter, payable by a corresponding increase in the principal amount of each Convertible Note that increases to 12% per year in the case of the notes entering default. The Company will pay (a “PIK Payment”) the interest due by adding such interest (including interest at the Default Rate) to the then-outstanding principal amount of the Notes on each interest payment date and on the Maturity Date. Each PIK Payment will be preceded by written notice from the Company to the Note holder setting forth in reasonable detail the amount of such PIK Payment and the principal amount of the Note following such PIK Payment. The notes are due on November 6, 2023. The notes are convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock with an exercise price of $1.25 per share.

During the second quarter of, 2020, the Company issued additional unsecured Convertible Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $50,000. The notes accrue 6% interest per year payable on October 31, 2020 and on the end of each calendar year thereafter, payable by a corresponding increase in the principal amount of each note that increases to 12% per year in the case of the notes entering default. The Company will pay (a “PIK Payment”) the interest due by adding such interest (including interest at the Default Rate) to the then-outstanding principal amount of the Notes on each interest payment date and on the Maturity Date. Each PIK Payment will be preceded by written notice from the Company to the Note holder setting forth in reasonable detail the amount of such PIK Payment and the principal amount of the Note following such PIK Payment. The notes are due on November 6, 2023. The notes are convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock with an exercise price of $1.25 per share.

F-14

During the third quarter of, 2020, the Company issued additional unsecured Convertible Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $100,000. The notes accrue 6% interest per year payable on October 31, 2020 and on the end of each calendar year thereafter, payable by a corresponding increase in the principal amount of each note that increases to 12% per year in the case of the notes entering default. The Company will pay (a “PIK Payment”) the interest due by adding such interest (including interest at the Default Rate) to the then-outstanding principal amount of the Notes on each interest payment date and on the Maturity Date. Each PIK Payment will be preceded by written notice from the Company to the Note holder setting forth in reasonable detail the amount of such PIK Payment and the principal amount of the Note following such PIK Payment. The notes are due on November 6, 2023. The notes are convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock with an exercise price of $1.25 per share.

The Company has evaluated the terms of the notes and determined that there are no derivative features in the note. The Convertible Notes issued to related parties have a beneficial conversion feature and, accordingly, the Company recorded a debt discount of $150,000 during the year ended December 31, 2019. No debt discount was recorded during the year ended December 31, 2020. During the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company amortized $37,863 and $4,549 of the debt discount, respectively, on Convertible Notes issued to related parties. Additionally, a fee of $9,000 was expensed related to the notes. At December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company had an unamortized debt discount of $107,588 and $145,451, respectively, on Convertible Notes issued to related parties.

As of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company owes $400,000 and $250,000 on the outstanding notes, respectively, held by related parties.

Maturity Date of Notes for Twelve Months Ending December 31, Amount due 
2021 $- 
2022  - 
2023  400,000 
2024  - 
2025  - 
Total $400,000 

NOTE 7 - STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

 

Stock-Based Compensation

 

In connection with the Merger, allconsummation of the issued and outstanding options to purchase shares of Prior Protagenic common stock converted,Merger completed on a 1 for 1 basis, into options (the “New Options”), to purchase shares of our Series B Preferred Stock. The New Options will be administered underFebruary 12, 2016, we adopted Prior Protagenic’s 2006 Employee, Director and Consultant Stock Plan (the “2006 Plan”). On June 17, 2016, our stockholders adopted the 2016 Plan and, as a result, we terminated the 2006 Plan. We will not grant any further awards under the 2006 Plan. All outstanding grants under the 2006 Plan”), which the Company assumed and adopted.

The Plan is authorized to issue up to 2,000,000 stock options. In will continue in effect in accordance with the terms of the particular grant and the 2006 Plan.

Pursuant to the 2016 Plan, the Company’s Compensation Committee may grant awards to any employee, officer, director, consultant, advisor or other individual service provider of the Company can grantor any subsidiary. On each of January 1, 2017, January 1, 2019 and January 1, 2020, pursuant to certain employees, directorsan annual “evergreen” provision contained in the 2016 Plan, the number of shares reserved for future grants was increased by 564,378 shares, or consultants options to purchasea total of 1,693,134 shares. As a result of these increases, as of December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2020, the aggregate number of shares of the Company’s common stock which vest automatically or ranging from a one-year period to a five-year period. Theavailable for awards under the 2016 Plan was 4,304,245 shares and 4,868,623 shares, respectively. Options issued under the 2016 Plan are exercisable over a period offor up to ten years from the date of grant. The Plan provides that qualified options be granted at an exercise price equal to the fair market value at the date of grant.issuance.

 

There were 2,592,2295,597,861 options outstanding as of September 30, 2016.December 31, 2020. The fair value of each stock option granted was estimated using the Black-Scholes assumptions and or factors as follows:

 

Exercise price $1.75 
Expected dividend yield  0%
Risk free interest rate  0.64%-1.61%
Expected life in years  10 
Expected volatility  140%-146%

Expected dividend yield

 0% 

Risk free interest rate

  1.01%-2.43%

Expected life in years

 5 

Expected volatility 

  85%-213%
F-15

There were 3,835,366 options outstanding as of December 31, 2019. The fair value of each stock option granted was estimated using the Black-Scholes assumptions and or factors as follows:

Exercise price$1.00 - $1.75
Expected dividend yield0%
Risk free interest rate2.09%-2.70%
Expected life in years10
Expected volatility137%-140%

 

The following is an analysis of the stock option grant activity under the Plan:

 

     

Exercise

  

Weighted Average

    

Weighted Average

 

Weighted Average

 
 

Number

  

Price

  

Exercise Price

  Number  Exercise Price  Remaining Life 

Stock Options

                        
                        

Outstanding January 1, 2016

  1,707,744      $0.84 
Outstanding December 31, 2018  3,846,299  $1.36   7.20 

Granted

  1,301,084  $1.25       126,567  $1.15   9.20 

Expired

  (416,599)          (137,500) $1.75     

Outstanding September 30, 2016

  2,592,229      $1.04 
Outstanding December 31, 2019  3,835,366  $1.34   6.02 
Granted  1,762,495  $1.75   8.01 
Expired  -  $-     
Outstanding December 31, 2020  5,597,861  $1.47   6.48 

 

A summary of the status of the Company’s nonvested options as of December 31, 2020, and changes during the year ended December 31, 2020, is presented below:

Nonvested Options Options  

Weighted-Average
Exercise Price

 
Nonvested at December 31, 2018  800,210  $1.63 
Granted  126,567  $1.15 
Vested  (584,895) $1.46 
Forfeited  (137,500) $1.75 
Nonvested at December, 2019  204,382  $1.74 
Granted  1,762,495  $1.75 
Vested  (1,104,044) $1.75 
Forfeited  -  $- 
Nonvested at December 31, 2020  862,833  $1.75 

 

On February 12, 2016,As of December 31, 2020, the Company issued 100,000had 5,597,861 shares issuable under options (onoutstanding at a post-Reverse Split basis) under the 2006 Plan to its Chief Financial Officer as a sign-on bonus. These options have anweighted average exercise price of $1.25 per share, a ten-year term$1.47 and vest over a three-year period in 35 monthly installmentsan intrinsic value of 0.18 shares and a final installment of 2,778 shares. The terms of the option grant also include full vesting acceleration upon a change of control. The Company recognized compensation expense related to this issuance $10,383 and $5,192 for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2016 and March 31, 2016, respectively.$38,328.

 

On April 15, 2016, our Compensation CommitteeAs of our Board determined that each board member will be compensated an option grant of 40,000December 31, 2019, the Company had 3,835,366 shares issuable under options per year, plus 5,000 options for serving as the Chair ofoutstanding at a committee. Options shall have 10-year expiration dates, 24-month vesting cycles, and a strikeweighted average exercise price of $1.25 per share, or more in future time periods to match the fair market$1.34 and an intrinsic value of the Company’s common stock. The aggregate amount granted was 175,000 options.

On April 15, 2016, the Board granted 1,008,299 options to employees and consultants. These options shall have 10-year expiration dates, 12 to 48 month vesting cycles, and a strike price of $1.25 per share.

During the quarter, 17,785 options were granted to former Atrinsic executives. These options have 3-year expiration dates, and a strike price of $1.25 per share.$635,536.

 

The total number of options granted and vested during the nine month periodyears ended September 30, 2016December 31, 2020 and 2019 was 1,974,4451,762,495 and 133,229,126,567, respectively. The exercise price for theses 1,974,445these options was $1.25$1.00 per share or $1.75 per share.

F-16

 

The Company recognized compensation expense related to options issued of $450,566$1,427,084 and $797,761 during the nine monthyears ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, in which $1,354,750 and $698,293 is included in general and administrative expenses and $72,334 and $99,468 in research and development expenses, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2020, $1,046,795 of the stock compensation was related to employees and $380,289 was related to non-employees.

As of December 31, 2020, the unamortized stock option expense was $898,665 with $305,527 being related to employees and $593,138 being related to non-employees. As of December 31, 2020, the weighted average period ended September 30, 2016.for the unamortized stock compensation to be recognized is 2.99 years.

On February 25, 2019, the Company granted 101,567 options with an exercise price of $1.00 and a ten year term. 59,900 of these options vest immediately and 41,667 vest bi-weekly over two months. These options have a Black-Scholes value of $199,807. The Company issued 59,900 options for settlement of accounts payable totaling $29,850 and recorded a loss of $99,541 on the settlement of the accounts payable.

 

On June 17, 2016,2019, the stockholdersCompany granted 25,000 options with an exercise price of $1.75 and a ten year term. These options vest immediately and have a Black-Scholes value of $36,374.

On February 21, 2020, the Company issued a total of 1,387,497 options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock to sixteen individuals with 1,362,497 option going to twelve related parties. These options had a grant date fair value of $1,901,724. From these options, 187,497 options were used to settle $93,950 in accrued compensations. These options have an exercise price of $1.75. 187,497 of the options vest immediately, 510,000 of the options vest monthly over 12 months, 5,000 of the options vest monthly over 24 months, 420,000 of the options vest monthly over 36 months, and 265,000 of the options vest monthly over 48 months. These options were approved by the board of directors on February 13, 2020.

On July 18, 2020, the Company issued 124,998 options to a related party. These options have an exercise price of $1.75 and a term of ten years. These options vest immediately and the grant date fair value of these options was $142,607.

On July 18, 2020, the Company issued 105,000 options to consultants. These options have an exercise price of $1.75 and a term of ten years. These options vest monthly over four years and the grant date fair value of these options was $119,792.

On July 18, 2020, the Board of Directors increased the size of the Board from five directors to six directors and appointed Jennifer Buell, Ph.D. as a member of the Board, effective immediately, to fill the vacancy created by such increase and to serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders. Dr. Buell was issued options to purchase 100,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $1.75 per share. The options vest as follows: monthly over 48 months. In recognition of her upcoming service as a Director of the Company, approvedDr. Buell was issued 45,000 options that vest monthly over 12 months. In each case the adoptionvesting commenced on the date of the 2016 equity compensation plan at the Special Meeting. No furthergrant, July 18, 2020. These options will be granted under the 2006 equity compensation plan, which we assumed in connection with the Merger. Detailshad a grant date fair value of this plan can be found with the Company’s Form 8-K filed June 20, 2016.$165,426.

 

Warrants:warrants:

 

In connection with the Merger, all of the issued and outstanding warrants to purchase shares of Prior Protagenic common stock converted, on a 1 for 1 basis, into new warrants (the New Warrants“New Warrants”) to purchase shares of our Series B Preferred Stock.

 

SimultaneousSimultaneously with the Merger and the Private2016 Offering, New Warrants to purchase 3,403,367 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at an average exercise price of approximately $1.05 per share were issued to holders of Prior Protagenic warrants; additionally, holdersthe holder of $665,000 of our debt and $35,000 of accrued interest exchanged such debt for five-year warrants to purchase 295,945 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at $1.25 per share. Placement Agent Warrantswarrants to purchase 127,346 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at an exercise price of $1.25 per share were issued to the placement agent in connection with the Private offering.2016 Offering. These warrants to purchase 423,291 shares of Series B Preferred Stock have been recorded as derivative liabilities. All of these warrants automatically converted into warrants to purchase our common stock upon the effectiveness of our reverse stock split in July 2016. See Note 6.5.

F-17

 

A summary of warrant issuances are as follows:

 

     

Exercise

  

Weighted Average

    

Weighted Average

 

Weighted Average

 
 

Number

  

Price

  

Exercise Price

  Number  Exercise Price  Remaining Life 

Warrants

                        

Outstanding January 1, 2016

  3,403,367      $1.05 
            
Outstanding December 31, 2018  3,826,658  $1.05   3.69 

Granted

  423,291  $1.25       -   -   - 

Outstanding September 30, 2016

  3,826,658      $1.07 
Outstanding December 31, 2019  3,826,658  $1.05   2.69 
Granted  180,400   1.25   

4.53

 
Outstanding December 31, 2020  4,007,058  $1.06   1.86 

 

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had 4,007,058 shares issuable under warrants outstanding at a weighted average exercise price of $1.06 and an intrinsic value of $782,668.

 

As of December 31, 2019, the Company had 3,826,658 shares issuable under warrants outstanding at a weighted average exercise price of $1.05 and an intrinsic value of $1,375,990.

On February 21, 2020, the Company extended the expiration date for 100,000 warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock. The expiration date was extended by two years from January 2, 2020 to January 2, 2022. These warrants have an exercise price of $1.25 and are fully vested. The Company recognized $95,187 in stock compensation as part of this modification.

On June 30, 2020, the Company issued 81,600 warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock. These warrants vest immediately, had an exercise price of $1.25 and a term of 5 years. These warrants have a Black-Scholes value of $86,968, which is being amortized over the life of the notes from the private placement. These warrants were issued as compensation to the placement agents in connection with the Company’s private placement offering of debt in which $6,643 was recorded as stock compensation expense and $80,325 recorded as a debt discount.

During the third quarter of 2020, the Company issued 98,800 warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock. These warrants vest immediately, had an exercise price of $1.25 and a term of 5 years. These warrants have a Black-Scholes value of $105,194 which is being amortized over the life of the notes from the private placement. These warrants were issued as compensation to the placement agents in connection with the Company’s private placement offering in which $5,840 was recorded as stock compensation expense and $99,354 recorded as a debt discount.

NOTE 8 -COLLABORATIVE AGREEMENTS

 

The Company and the University of Toronto a stockholder of the Company (the “University”) entered into an agreement effective December 14, 2004 (the “Research Agreement”) for the performance of a research project titled “Evidence for existence of TCAP receptors in neurons” (the “Project”). The Research Agreement expired on March 31, 2013.

The Company and the University entered into an agreement effective April 1, 2014 (the “New Research Agreement”) for the performance of a research project titled “Teneurin C-terminal Associated Peptide (“TCAP”) mediated stress attenuation in vertebrates: Establishing the role of organismal and intracellular energy and glucose regulation and metabolism"metabolism” (the “New Project”). The New Project is to perform research related to work done by Dr. David A. Lovejoy, a professor at the University and stockholder of the Company, (the “Professor”) in regard to TCAP mediated stress attenuation in vertebrates: Establishing the role of organismal and intracellular energy and glucose regulation and metabolism. In addition to the New Research Agreement, the ProfessorDr. Lovejoy entered into an agreement with the University in order to commercialize certain technologies. The New Research Agreement expired on March 30, 2015.2016. In September 2015,February 2017, the New Research Agreement was extended to September 30, 2016 which allowsDecember 31, 2017. The extension allowed for further development of the technologies and use of their applications. Upon expiration ofOn April 10, 2018, the agreement paymentswas amended and the research agreement has been further extended to the University and research support from the University will suspend until an agreement can be made.December 31, 2023.

F-18

 

Prior to January 1, 2016, the University has been granted 25,000 stock options which are fully vested at the exercise price of $1.00 exercisable over a 10ten year period which ends on April 1, 2022. As of September 30, 2016December 31, 2020, Dr. David Lovejoy of the ProfessorUniversity has been granted 275,000553,299 stock options, of which 125,000527,570 are fully vested, atvested. These have an exercise price of $1.00, $1.25 or 1.75 and are exercisable over 10ten or 13thirteen year periods which endsend either on March 30, 2021, December 1, 2022, April 15, 2026, March 1, 2027, October 16, 2027 or on March 1, 2027.February 13, 2030.

 

The sponsorship research and development expenses pertaining to the Research Agreements were $3,000$0 and $7,056 for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, and $4,500 and $10,584 for the nine months ended September 30, 2016, respectively.

NOTE 9 -LICENSING AGREEMENTS

On July 31, 2005, the Company had entered into a Technology License Agreement (“License Agreement”) with the University pursuant to which the University agreed to license to the Company patent rights and other intellectual property, among other things (the “Technologies”). The Technology License Agreement was amended on February 18, 2015 and currently does not provide for an expiration date.

Pursuant to the License Agreement and its amendment, the Company obtained an exclusive worldwide license to make, have made, use, sell and import products based upon the Technologies, or to sublicense the Technologies in accordance with the terms of the License Agreement and amendment. In consideration, the Company agreed to pay to the University a royalty payment of 2.5% of net sales of any product based on the Technologies. If the Company elects to sublicense any rights under the License Agreement and amendment, the Company agrees to pay to the University 10% of any up-front sub-license fees for any sub-licenses that occurred on or after September 9, 2006, and, on behalf of the sub-licensee, 2.5% of net sales by the sub-licensee of all products based on the Technologies. The Company had no revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 and therefore was not subject to paying any royalties.

In the event the Company fails to provide the University with semi-annual reports on the progress or fails to continue to make reasonable commercial efforts towards obtaining regulatory approval for products based on the Technologies, the University may convert our exclusive license into a non-exclusive arrangement. Interest on any amounts owed under the License Agreement and amendment will be at 3% per annum. All intellectual property rights resulting from the Technologies or improvements thereon will remain the property of the other inventors and/or the Professor, and/or the University, as the case may be. The Company has agreed to pay all out-of- pocket filing, prosecution and maintenance expenses in connection with any patents relating to the Technologies. In the case of infringement upon any patents relating to the Technologies, the Company may elect, at its own expense, to bring a cause of action asserting such infringement. In such a case, after deducting any legal expenses the Company may incur, any settlement proceeds will be subject to the 2.5% royalty payment owed to the University under the License Agreement and amendment.

The patent applications were made in the name of the Professor and other inventors, but the Company’s exclusive, worldwide rights to such patent applications are included in the License Agreement and its amendment with the University. The Company maintains exclusive licensing agreements and it currently controls the six intellectual patent properties.

NOTE 10 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Consulting Agreement

The Company had an employment agreement with its Officer/Related Party which expired on December 31, 2015. The employment agreement indicated a salary of $6,489 per month plus a bonus, other healthcare benefits and was granted stock options during the year ended December 31, 2015, the Officer/Related Party has been granted 75,000 stock options, valued at $64,223 using the Black-Scholes calculation of which $53,519 was expensed in 2015.

As the agreement above expired, the Company issued a consulting agreement in its place that extended the majority of the terms of the employment agreement on a month-to-month basis. As a consultant, he is responsible for financial reporting, data compilation, and document retrieval services, reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, and to endeavor to secure non-dilutive grant funding for the Company. Prior to January 1, 2016, the Consultant had been granted 250,000 stock options, which are fully vested, at exercise prices of $0.26, $1.00, and $1.25 exercisable over 10 year periods which ends either August 1, 2016 or March 9, 2025. The consultant will be paid $2,000 per month for the remainder of the year ended 2016 and is eligible for bonus payments both contingent and not contingent on obtaining non-dilutive grant financing for the Company. Either party may terminate the agreement (a) immediately at any time upon written notice to the other party in the event of a breach of the agreement by the other party which cannot be cured (i.e. breach of the confidentiality obligations) and or (b) at any time without cause upon not less than fifteen (15) days’ prior written notice to the other party. Upon expiration or termination, neither the Company nor Consultant will have any further obligations under the consulting agreement.

The Company has accrued $20,600 to pay the Consultant for research and development projects during the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and paid $0 during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015.

Consulting Agreement

PTI Canada entered into a consulting agreement with a stockholder of the Company (the “Consultant”) which expired on December 31, 2015, pursuant to which the Consultant is responsible for overseeing i) design and development of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay “(ELISA”), assays for measuring TCAP, ii) evaluation of TCAP exposure biomarker assay, iii) development of pipeline peptides, and iv) development of clinically compatible formulations for TCAP, as well as all of the bench research and development of formulation and extraction methods. The agreement has been extended through December 31, 2016 and updated accordingly. Prior to January 1, 2016, the Consultant had been granted 150,000 stock options which are fully vested at exercise prices of $1.00 and $1.25 exercisable over 10 year periods which ends either on March 30, 2021 or on March 1, 2025. The Consultant is paid approximately CA$3,000 per month. Either party may terminate the agreement (a) immediately at any time upon written notice to the other party in the event of a breach of the agreement by the other party which cannot be cured (i.e. breach of the confidentiality obligations) and or (b) at any time without cause upon not less than fifteen (15) days’ prior written notice to the other party. Upon expiration or termination, neither the Company nor Consultant will have any further obligations under the consulting agreement.

The Company has accrued $18,122 to pay the Consultant for research and development projects during the three months ended September 30, 2016 and paid $1,619 during the three months ended September 30, 2015. $67,161 was accrued for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and $1,619 was paid during the nine months ended September 30, 2015.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time we may be named in claims arising in the ordinary course of business. Currently, no legal proceedings, government actions, administrative actions, investigations or claims are pending against us or involve us that, in the opinion of our management, could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

NOTE 11 -SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

The Company has evaluated the period after the balance sheet date up through the date that the condensed consolidated financial statements were filed, and determined that other than noted above, there were subsequent events or transactions that required recognition or disclosure in the condensed consolidated financial statements.

At the October 26, 2016 meeting of the Company’s Compensation Committee, the Committee granted one employee 25,000 options at a $1.25 strike price with vesting over 48-months and the Committee extended the expiration date for 100,000 warrants issued to of one former consultant by 3 years from January 2017 until January 2020.

PROTAGENIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

FOR THE YEARS ENDED

DECEMBER31, 2015 AND 2014

PROTAGENIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND

SUBSIDIARY

DECEMBER 31, 2015 AND 2014 

Page

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firms

1-2

Consolidated Financial Statements

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Deficit

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

7-22 

REPORT OFINDEPENDENTREGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders

of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2015, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, changes in stockholders’ deficit and cash flows for the year then ended. These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audit.

We conducted our audit 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 consolidated 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 audit 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 audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. as of December 31, 2015, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

/s/ Marcumllp

New York, New York

July 12, 2016

 

PROTAGENIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

CONSOLIDATEDBALANCESHEETS

DECEMBER 31, 2015 AND 2014 

  

2015

  

2014

 

ASSETS

        

CURRENT ASSETS

        

Cash and cash equivalents

 $3,343  $22,733 

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS

  3,343   22,733 

EQUIPMENT

        

Office

  -   9,414 

Computer

  1,712   12,506 
   1,712   21,920 

Less: Accumulated depreciation

  (143)  (21,920)

Total equipment

  1,569   - 

OTHER ASSETS

  6,230   4,147 

TOTAL ASSETS

 $11,142  $26,880 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT

        

CURRENT LIABILITIES

        

Bridge Loan Payable - Stockholder and accrued interest

 $399,103  $- 

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

  276,532   145,733 

Income taxes payable

  2,723   2,500 

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES

  678,358   148,233 

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

        

STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT

        

Common stock at $.001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized;7,613,338 shares issued and 6,613,338 outstanding for December 31, 2015 and 2014

  7,613   7,613 

Additional paid-in-capital

  5,880,119   5,401,490 

Accumulated deficit

  (6,306,297)  (5,282,875)

Treasury stock, at cost $.001 par value, 1,000,000 shares, for December 31, 2015 and 2014

  (100,000)  (100,000)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

  (148,651)  (147,581)

TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT

  (667,216)  (121,353)

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS'DEFICIT

 $11,142  $26,880 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2015 AND 2014 

  

2015

  

2014

 

REVENUE

 $-  $- 

OPERATING AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES

        

Research and development expenses

        

Sponsorship research and development

  170,575   67,270 

Legal fees

  164,855   25,287 

Salaries

  73,815   88,791 

Patent expense

  22,435   60,434 

Consulting

  10,008   10,861 

Payroll taxes and employee benefits

  10,170   5,335 

Rent - related party and officer

  4,546   5,862 

Travel

  6,228   2,892 

Telephone, internet and website

  1,658   2,703 

Miscellaneous

  165   - 

Rebates from research and development Canadian tax credits

  (8,181)  (78,366)

Total research and development expenses

  456,274   191,069 

General and administrative expenses

  568,764   101,031 

TOTAL OPERATING AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES

  1,025,038   292,100 

LOSS FROM OPERATIONS

  (1,025,038)  (292,100)

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)

        

Interest income

  -   49 

Interest expense - stockholder

  (11,473)  - 

Foreign currency exchange gain (loss)

  13,089   (10,430)

TOTAL OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)

  1,616   (10,381)

NET LOSS

  (1,023,422)  (302,481)

COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

        

Other Comprehensive Loss - net of tax

        

Foreign exchange translation loss

  (1,070)  (156,338)

TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

 $(1,024,492) $(458,819)

Net loss per common share - basic and diluted

 $(0.15) $(0.05)

Weighted average common shares - basic and diluted

  6,613,338   6,613,338 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2015 AND 2014

                          

Accumulated

     
                          

Other

     
  

Common Stock

  

Additional

  

Accumulated

  

Treasury Stock

  

Comprehensive

  

Stockholders'

 
  

Shares

  

Amount

  

Paid-in-Capital

  

Deficit

  

Shares

  

Amount

  

Loss

  

Deficit

 
                                 

BALANCE - January 1, 2014

  7,613,338  $7,613  $5,316,322  $(4,980,394)  (1,000,000) $(100,000) $8,757  $252,298 

Stock compensation

  -   -   85,168   -   -   -   -   85,168 

Foreign currency translation loss

  -   -   -   -   -��  -   (156,338)  (156,338)

Net loss

  -   -   -   (302,481)  -   -   -   (302,481)

BALANCE - December 31, 2014

  7,613,338   7,613   5,401,490   (5,282,875)  (1,000,000)  (100,000)  (147,581)  (121,353)

Stock compensation

  -   -   478,629   -   -   -   -   478,629 

Foreign currency translation loss

  -   -   -   -   -   -   (1,070)  (1,070)

Net loss

  -   -   -   (1,023,422)  -   -   -   (1,023,422)

BALANCE - December 31, 2015

  7,613,338  $7,613  $5,880,119  $(6,306,297)  (1,000,000) $(100,000) $(148,651) $(667,216)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2015 AND 2014

  

2015

  

2014

 
         

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

        

Net Loss

 $(1,023,422) $(302,481)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used inoperating activities

        

Depreciation expense

  143   380 

Stock based compensation

  478,629   85,168 

Interest added to bridge loan

  11,473   - 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

        

Prepaid research and development expenses

  -   47,224 

Other assets

  (2,916)  (1,084)

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

  154,529   15,423 

Income taxes payable

  223   (600)

NET CASH USED IN OPERATING ACTIVITIES

  (381,341)  (155,970)

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES

        

Purchase of equipment

  (1,791)  - 

NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES

  (1,791)  - 

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES

        

Proceeds from bridge loan

  387,630   - 

NET CASH PROVIDED BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES

  387,630   - 

Effect of exchange rate on cash and cash quivalents

  (23,888)  22,720 

NET DECREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

  (19,390)  (133,250)

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF YEAR

  22,733   155,983 

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF YEAR

 $3,343  $22,733 

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION

        

Cash paid for interest expense

 $-  $- 

Cash paid for income taxes

 $-  $- 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE 1                 ORGANIZATION AND NATURE OF BUSINESS

Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (“PTI U.S.A.”) was organized on September 29, 2004 in the State of Delaware. On September 14, 2015, PTI U.S.A. obtained its renewal and revival of its Delaware charter which had become inoperative effective August 7, 2015. The Company is a privately held biotechnology company focused on the discovery, research and development of pre-clinical studies for developing novel, naturally occurring, human neuropeptide-based, brain- active therapeutics for treatment of depression, mood, anxiety and other neurodegenerative disorders. The Company is also interested in acquiring exclusive intellectual property rights for peptide-based therapeutics for the treatment of neurological and mood disorders. Once the Company’s planned principal operations commence, its focus will be licensing certain technologies and the continued research of the new technologies.

Protagenic Therapeutics Canada (2006) Inc. (“PTI Canada”) was incorporated in 2006 in the Province of Ontario, Canada. PTI Canada is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PTI U.S.A. (collectively, the “Company”). It provides operational support and assistance for the implementation of corporate and operational activities conducted in Canada.

NOTE 2                 LIQUIDITY

As shown in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, the Company incurred a net loss of $1,023,422 and $302,481$63,905 for the years ended December 31, 20152020 and 2014,2019, respectively. The Company has incurred losses since inception resulting in an accumulated deficit of $6,306,297 as of December 31, 2015, and has had negative cash flows from operating activities. The Company anticipates further losses in the development of its business. Additionally, the Company had a net working capital deficiency of $675,015 at December 31, 2015.

The Company intends to finance its activities through managing current cash and cash equivalents on hand and seeking additional funds raised in the future through the issuance of common stock, borrowing of funds or merging with another company (see Note 11). Subsequently in February 2016 through April 2016, the Company raised total gross proceeds $4,635,575 (net proceeds of $4,283,438) through a private offering of Series B Preferred Stock. As a result, the Company expects its cash to sustain its operations through the end of 2017. In the next 12 months, the Company expects to burn cash of approximately $2,691,000. In addition to the above capital raise, the Company will need to raise additional funds. However, there can be no assurance that financing will be available when required or if available, obtained on satisfactory terms to the company. 

NOTE 3                 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and include the accounts of PTI U.S.A, and its wholly owned subsidiary, PTI Canada. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated from the consolidated financial statements.

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

 

NOTE 3                  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

Foreign Currency Translation and Transactions

The assets and liabilities of the Company’s foreign subsidiary PTI Canada are translated into U.S. dollars from its functional currency using the exchange rate in effect at the balance sheets date. Additionally, the accounts on the statements of operations are translated using exchange rates approximating average rates prevailing during the years. Equity accounts are translated at historical exchange rates. Translation adjustments that arise from translating its financial statements from the local currency to the U.S. dollar are accumulated and reflected as a separate component of stockholders’ deficit. The current year effect of the transaction adjustments are included on the statement of operations as a foreign currency exchange gain (loss).

Use of Estimates

In preparing consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amount of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates include accruals, contingencies, valuation allowance for deferred tax assets and valuation of stock options and warrants. These estimates may be adjusted as more current information becomes available, and any adjustment could have a significant impact on recorded amounts. Actual results could differ from those estimates. 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalents consist of money market instruments with an original maturity at the time of purchase of three months or less. The Company maintains its cash and cash equivalents with two high credit quality financial institutions with one located in each the United States and Canada, which at times, may be in excess of insured amounts with the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Company and Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Company’s policy is to maintain its cash and cash equivalents with reputable financial institutions assessed on an annual basis. There are no cash equivalents at this time. There is little concentration of credit risk for foreign cash as minimal balances of cash are held by PTI Canada.

Equipment

Equipment was stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Improvements and replacements of equipment are capitalized. Maintenance and repairs that do not improve or extend the lives of equipment are charged to expense as incurred. When assets are retired, their cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss will be reported in the consolidated statements of operations. Depreciation is computed using straight- line methods over their estimated useful lives ranging from 3 to 5 years. 

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE3                 SUMMARYOFSIGNIFICANTACCOUNTINGPOLICIES(CONTINUED)

 Rebates from Research and Development Credits

The Company derives rebates from scientific research and experimental development tax credits issued by the Canada Revenue Agency for qualified expenditures. The credits are recognized when the rebate is issued. The amounts received are reinvested into the Company’s scientific research, experimental development and operational works conducted in Canada.

Research and Development Expenses, net of Rebates

The Company’s research and development expenditures for present and future products are expensed as incurred.

Treasury Stock

Management of the Company does not plan to retire the stock and applies the cost method to its treasury stock transactions. Differences between proceeds for reissuance of treasury stock and the cost are credited or charged to additional paid in capital to the extent of the prior credits and thereafter to accumulated deficit.

Fair Value Measurements

Accounting Standards Codification 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure,” (“ASC 820”) defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date, not adjusted for transaction costs. ASC 820 also establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels giving the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3).

  The three levels are described below:

Level 1 Inputs – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that is accessible by the Company;

Level 2 Inputs – Quoted prices in markets that are not active or financial instruments for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly;

Level 3 Inputs – Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability including significant assumptions of the Company and other market participants.

There were no transfers in or out of any level for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014. The Company determines fair values for its investment assets as follows: 

Cash and cash equivalents, accounts payable, and accrued expenses carry value equals approximately the fair value due to its short term nature. Based on the borrowing rates currently available to the Company for loans with similar terms and the expected short term maturity, the carrying value of the bridge note payable approximates fair value.

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE3                  SUMMARYOFSIGNIFICANTACCOUNTINGPOLICIES(CONTINUED)

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock based compensation costs under the provisions of ASC No. 718,Compensation—Stock Compensation, which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense related to the fair value of stock based compensation awards that are ultimately expected to vest. Stock based compensation expense recognized includes the compensation cost for all stock based payments granted to employees, officers, directors, and consultants based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of ASC No. 718. ASC No. 718 is also applied to awards modified, repurchased, or canceled during the periods reported. Pursuant to ASC No. 718 the Company recognize the compensation cost for an award of share-based over the requisite service period, with a corresponding credit to equity (generally, paid-in capital). The requisite service period is the period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for an award, which often is the vesting period. 

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes utilizing the liability method. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed annually for differences between the consolidated financial statement basis and tax basis of assets and liabilities that will result in taxable or deductible amounts in the future based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Income tax expense is the tax payable or refundable for the period plus or minus the change during the period in deferred tax assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the consolidated financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the carrying amounts of deferred tax assets unless it is more likely than not that such asset will be realized.

Management has determined that a valuation allowance is required for the deferred tax assets which is primarily attributable to net operating loss carry forwards for federal and state tax purposes. The net operating losses expire through 2035 and 2022 for federal and state taxes, respectively. Thus, the consolidated financial statements do not reflect a deferred tax provision. 

Basic and Diluted Net (Loss) per Common Share

Basic (loss) per common share is computed by dividing the net (loss) by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding for each period. Diluted (loss) per share is computed by dividing the net (loss) by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding plus the dilutive effect of shares issuable through the common stock equivalents. Potentially dilutive securities consisting of options and warrants aggregating 5,111,111 and 4,371,111 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively were not included in the calculation of weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding as they were determined to be anti-dilutive.

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE 3                  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

On March 30, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, "Compensation - Stock Compensation" which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions for both public and nonpublic entities, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. For public business entities, the ASU is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those annual reporting periods. Early adoption will be permitted in any interim or annual period for which financial statements have not yet been issued or have not been made available for issuance. If early adoption is elected, all amendments in the ASU that apply must be adopted in the same period. In addition, if early adoption is elected in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of the annual period that includes that interim period. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of the standard on its consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02,Leases. The main provisions of ASU No. 2016-02 require management to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities for all leases. ASU 2016-02 retains a distinction between finance leases and operating leases. The classification criteria for distinguishing between finance leases and operating leases are substantially similar to the classification criteria for distinguishing between capital leases and operating leases in the previous leases guidance. The result of retaining a distinction between finance leases and operating leases is that under the lessee accounting model, the effect of leases in the statement of comprehensive income and the statement of cash flows is largely unchanged from previous GAAP. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently assessing the impact of this ASU on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17,Income taxes. The provisions of ASU No. 2015-17 simplify the presentation of deferred income taxes, the amendments in this ASU require that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. The amendments in this Update apply to all entities that present a classified statement of financial position. The current requirement that deferred tax liabilities and assets of a tax-paying component of an entity be offset and presented as a single amount is not affected by the amendments in this Update. The amendments in this ASU are effective for the annual period ending after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company does not believe that the adoption of this update will have a significant impact to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements—Going Concern. The provisions of ASU No. 2014-15 require management to assess an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern by incorporating and expanding upon certain principles that are currently in U.S. auditing standards. Specifically, the amendments (1) provide a definition of the term substantial doubt, (2) require an evaluation every reporting period including interim periods, (3) provide principles for considering the mitigating effect of management’s plans, (4) require certain disclosures when substantialdoubt is alleviated as a result of consideration of management’s plans, (5) require an express statement and other disclosures when substantial doubt is not alleviated, and (6) require an assessment for a period of one year after the date that the financial statements are issued (or available to be issued). The amendments in this ASU are effective for the annual period ending after December 15, 2016, and for annual periods and interim periods thereafter. The Company is currently assessing the impact of this ASU on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE 3                  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

Recent Accounting Pronouncements (continued)

 Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective accounting pronouncements, if adopted, would have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements filed with this annual report. 

NOTE 4                     ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED EXPENSES

           Accounts payable and accrued expenses consist of the following as of December 31:

  

2015

  

2014

 
         
         

Legal expenses

 $186,936  $51,120 

Salaries

  41,166   -- 

Patent cost

  29,239   87,244 

Research and development

  8,128   6,089 

Payroll taxes and employee benefits

  6,222   -- 

Other

  4,841   1,280 
         
         
  $276,532  $145,733 

NOTE 5                   BRIDGE LOAN PAYABLE - STOCKHOLDER

The Company did not enter into any bridge loan arrangements during 2014. During January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015, the Company had entered into a series of bridge loan arrangements for total borrowings received and interest accrued of $399,103 with a major Stockholder and Chairman. The proceeds were used to fund research, development and the general operating activity of the Company. The Company has guaranteed the payment of all principal and interest in the form of the Company’s common stock at a purchase price of $1.25 per share. The loan bears interest at a rate of 10% per annum. The Company recorded interest expense of $11,473 for the year ended December 31, 2015. Subsequent to December 31, 2015, the Company converted $350,000 in principal on the note into shares of Series B Preferred Stock in the Private Offering at a price of $1.25 per share. In addition, during June 2016, the Company has agreed to convert the remaining principal and interest at $1.25 per share.

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE 6                   STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

Common Stock

The Company adopted a certificate of amendment to the Company’s restated certificate of incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of its $.001 par value common stock from 10,000,000 shares to 20,000,000 shares which was recorded by the state of Delaware on October 2, 2015.

No common stock was issued during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

Stock-Based Compensation

On March 15, 2006, the Company adopted the “Protagenic Therapeutic, Inc. 2006 Employee, Director and Consultant Stock Plan” (the “Plan”) and authorized 140,000 shares for issuance pursuant to the Plan. On April 1, 2012, the Company increased the number of authorized shares to 2,000,000 shares. In accordance with the Plan, the Company can grant to certain employees, directors or consultants options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock which vest automatically or ranging from a one-year period to a five-year period. The shares are exercisable over a period of ten years from the date of grant. The Plan provides that qualified options be granted at an exercise price equal to the fair market value at the date of grant, as determined by the Board of Directors. During the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company granted a total of 490,000 and 240,000 respectively, options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $1.25 and $1.00 per share. The 2015 and 2014 options vest monthly ranging from six months to over a five-year period for one individual.

Management has determined that for each round of stock options granted, it was reasonable to estimate the fair value of the common stock options using the Black Scholes option pricing model. Accordingly, the Company has accounted for options using this calculated value method. Based on the fact that the Company is a privately held company with no revenue, management has estimated its expected future equity volatility factor in valuing the Company’s common stock equivalents by starting with its historical volatility adjusted for the volatility of equity interests from comparable publicly traded and privately held published companies to arrive at such industry benchmarks to evaluate.

The fair value of each stock option granted and warrant issued during 2015 and 2014 was estimated using the Black Scholes assumptions and or factors as follows:

 

 

2015

 

2014

 

Expected dividend yield

 

 

 0%

 

 

 

 0

%

Risk free interest rate

 

 1.66%

-

2.43% 

 

 

 2.30

%

Expected life in years

 

 

10

 

 

 

10

 

Expected volatility

 

 

85%

 

 

 

85

%

No stock options expired or were forfeited during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014. As of December 31, 2015, the stock options had no intrinsic value as there was no current market value for the shares. The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense pertaining to the options granted of $190,751 and $85,168 during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE 6                    STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT (CONTINUED)

Stock-Based Compensation (continued)

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Plan had remaining option shares to be granted of 292,256 and 782,256, respectively. Unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested awards as of December 31, 2015 was approximately $290,985, and will be recognized over the remaining vesting periods of the underlying awards.

The following is an analysis of the stock option grant activity under the Plan:

      

Exercise

  

Weighted

Average

 
  

Number

  

Price

  

Exercise Price

 

Stock Options

            
             

Outstanding January 1, 2014

  977,744      $0.60 

Granted

  240,000  $1.00     

Outstanding December, 31, 2014

  1,217,744      $0.68 

Granted

  490,000  $1.25     

Outstanding December, 31, 2015

  1,707,744      $0.84 

The following is an analysis of the vested and non-vested stock options under the Plan as of December 31, 2015:

Number

of

Options

       ExpirationDate

 

Remaining

Contractual Life

(Years)

  

Exercise

Price

 
104,150 

March 1, 2016

  0.17  $0.26 
312,449 

March 15, 2016

  0.21  $0.26 
55,000 

August 1, 2016

  0.59  $0.26 
60,000 

November 1, 2016

  0.84  $0.26 
21,145 

February 1, 2017

  1.09  $1.00 
290,000 

March 1, 2021

  5.25  $1.00 
10,000 

June 10, 2021

  5.45  $1.00 
50,000 

April 1, 2022

  6.25  $1.00 
75,000 

December 1, 2022

  6.92  $1.00 
90,000 

March 1, 2024

  8.17  $1.00 
215,000 

March 1, 2025

  9.17  $1.25 
75,000 

March 9, 2025

  9.19  $1.25 
150,000 

March 1, 2027

  11.17  $1.00 
200,000 

January 22, 2030

  14.07  $1.25 
1,707,744          

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE 6                   STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT (CONTINUED)

Warrants

The Company has conducted private placement offerings to raise financing since its formation. In connection with the private placement offerings that occurred in 2013, 2011, and 2007, the Company offered its common stock at a fixed purchase price of $1.00 per share, $0.001 par value, and offered 3 warrants for each share purchased. The warrants have an exercise price of $1.00 per share and have an exercise term of ten years from the date of issuance.

The Company has warrants outstanding as follows:

  

December31,

2015

  

December31,

2014

 

Financing and stock subscriptions (includes300,000 warrants to the Major Stockholder andChairman)

  2,100,000   2,100,000 

Consultants

  350,000   100,000 

Major Stockholder and Chairman

  953,367   953,367 

Total Warrants Issued

  3,403,367   3,153,367 

A summary of warrant issuances are as follows:

      

Exercise

  

Weighted

Average

 
  

Number

  

Price

  

Exercise Price

 

Warrants

            
             

Outstanding January 1, 2014

  3,153,367      $1.01 

Granted

  -  $-     

Outstanding December, 31, 2014

  3,153,367      $1.00 

Granted

  250,000  $1.25     

Outstanding December, 31, 2015

  3,403,367      $1.05 

All outstanding warrants are currently exercisable. A summary of warrants issued and outstanding at December 31, 2015 is summarized as follows:

Number of

Common Stock

Equivalents

 

Expiration

Date

 

Remaining Contractual

Life(Years)

 

Exercise Price

 
100,000 

01/01/2017

  1.2  $1.25 
675,000 

07/07/2021

  5.5to6.7  $1.00 
2,628,367 

12/20/2023

  7.3to8.1 $1.05 
3,403,367          

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE 6                   STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT (CONTINUED)

Warrants (continued)

The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense pertaining to the warrants issued of $287,878 and $0 during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

As of December 31, 2015, the Major Stockholder and Chairman has been issued 1,253,367 warrants to purchase 417,789 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.00 exercisable over 10 year periods which ends either on May 19, 2021 (warrants to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock) or on February18, 2023 (warrants to purchase 317,789 shares of common stock).

NOTE 7                   INCOME TAXES

The components of (loss) income before income taxes are as follows:

  

2015

  

2014

 

Domestic

  (747,693)  16,001 

Foreign

  (275,729)  (318,482)

(Loss) income before income taxes

  (1,023,422)  (302,481)

The Company had no income tax expense due to operating losses incurred for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

For the periods ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, the actual tax expense differs from the effective tax expense (benefit) based on the U.S. Federal tax rate of 34% as follows:

  

2015

  

2014

 

Income taxes at Federal statutory rate

  -34.0%  -34.0%

State income taxes, net of Federal income tax effect

  -13.0%  -6.0%

Foreign tax rate differential

  2.4%  0.0%

Change in valuation allowance

  43.5%  40.0%

Other

  1.1%  0.0%

Income tax provision

  0.0%  0.0%

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE 7                   INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED)

The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows:

  

2015

  

2014

 

U.S. net operating loss carryforwards

  563,000   401,000 

Stock compensation

  206,000   - 

Canadian Provincial income tax losses

  402,000   333,000 

Canadian Provincial scientific investment tax credits

  201,000   193,000 
   1,372,000   927,000 

Valuation allowance

  (1,372,000)  (927,000)

Net deferred tax assets

  -   - 

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company had federal net operating loss carryforwards (“NOL”) of approximately $1,310,000 and $1,041,000, respectively. The losses expire in stages beginning in 2024. The Company has not performed a detailed analysis to determine whether an ownership change under IRC Section 382 has occurred. The effect of an ownership change would be the imposition of annual limitation on the use of NOL carryforwards attributable to periods before the change Any limitation may result in expiration of a portion of the NOL before utilization. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company had state and local net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $1,303,000 and $1,033,000, respectively, to reduce future state tax liabilities also through 2035.

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company had Canadian NOL of approximately $1,256,000 and $980,000, respectively. The Canadian losses expire in stages beginning in 2026. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company also has unclaimed Canadian federal scientific research and development investment tax credits, which are available to reduce future federal taxes payable of approximately $201,000 and $193,000, respectively.

As a result of losses and uncertainty of future profit, the net deferred tax asset has been fully reserved. The net change in the valuation allowance during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 was an increase of $445,000 and $67,000, respectively.

Foreign earnings are assumed to be permanently reinvested. U.S. Federal income taxes have not been provided on undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiary.

The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in selling, general and administrative expenses. The Company has not identified any uncertain tax positions requiring a reserve as of December 31, 2015 and 2014. 

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE 8                 COLLABORATIVE AGREEMENTS

The Company and the University of Toronto, a stockholder of the Company (the “University”) entered into an agreement effective December 14, 2004 (the “Research Agreement”) for the performance of a research project titled “Evidence for existence of TCAP receptors in neurons” (the “Project”). The Research Agreement expired on March 31, 2013.

The Company and the University entered into an agreement effective April 1, 2014 (the “New Research Agreement”) for the performance of a research project titled “Teneurin C-terminal Associated Peptide (“TCAP”) mediated stress attenuation in vertebrates: Establishing the role of organismal and intracellular energy and glucose regulation and metabolism" (the “New Project”). The New Project is to perform research related to work done by a professor at the University and stockholder of the Company (the “Professor”) in regard to TCAP mediated stress attenuation in vertebrates: Establishing the role of organismal and intracellular energy and glucose regulation and metabolism. In addition to the New Research Agreement, the Professor entered into an agreement with the University in order to commercialize certain technologies. The New Research Agreement expired on March 31, 2015. In September 2015, the New Research Agreement was extended to March 31, 2016 which allows for further development of the technologies and use of their applications. Upon expiration of the agreement, payments to the University and research support from the University will suspend until an agreement can be made.

As of December 31, 2015 the University has been granted 129,000 stock options which are fully vested at exercise prices of $.26 and $1.00 exercisable over 10 year periods which ends either on March 15, 2016 or on April 1, 2022. As of December 31, 2015 the Professor has been granted 483,299 stock options which are fully vested, except for 62,500 stock options, at exercise prices of $0.26 and $1.00 exercisable over 10 or 13 year periods which ends either on March 15, 2016 or on March 1, 2027.

The sponsorship research and development expenses were $170,575 and $67,270 pertaining to the Research Agreements for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

NOTE 9 LICENSING AGREEMENTS

 

On July 31, 2005, the Company had entered into a Technology License Agreement (“License Agreement”) with the University pursuant to which the University agreed to license to the Company patent rights and other intellectual property, among other things (the “Technologies”). The Technology License Agreement was amended on February 18, 2015 and currently does not provide for an expiration date.

 

Pursuant to the License Agreement and its amendment, the Company obtained an exclusive worldwide license to make, have made, use, sell and import products based upon the Technologies, or to sublicense the Technologies in accordance with the terms of the License Agreement and amendment. In consideration, the Company agreed to pay to the University a royalty payment of 2.5% of net sales of any product based on the Technologies. If the Company elects to sublicense any rights under the License Agreement and amendment, the Company agrees to pay to the University 10% of any up-front sub-license fees for any sub-licenses that occurred on or after September 9, 2006, and, on behalf of the sub-licensee, 2.5% of net sales by the sub-licensee of all products based on the Technologies. The Company had no sales revenue for the years ended December 31, 20152020 and 20142019 and therefore was not subject to paying any royalties.

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE 9                  LICENSING AGREEMENTS (CONTINUED)

 

In the event the Company fails to provide the University with semi-annual reports on the progress or fails to continue to make reasonable commercial efforts towards obtaining regulatory approval for products based on the Technologies, the University may convert our exclusive license into a non-exclusive arrangement. Interest on any amounts owed under the License Agreement and amendment will be at 3% per annum. All intellectual property rights resulting from the Technologies or improvements thereon will remain the property of the other inventors and/or the Professor,Dr. Lovejoy, and/or the University, as the case may be. The Company has agreed to pay all out-of- pocket filing, prosecution and maintenance expenses in connection with any patents relating to the Technologies. In the case of infringement upon any patents relating to the Technologies, the Company may elect, at its own expense, to bring a cause of action asserting such infringement. In such a case, after deducting any legal expenses the Company may incur, any settlement proceeds will be subject to the 2.5% royalty payment owed to the University under the License Agreement and amendment.

 

The Company has incurred legal expense for research and development projects associated with the License Agreement and its amendment of $0 and $25,287 during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

The Company also incurred patent costs for research and development projects associated with the License Agreement and its amendment of $22,435 and $ 60,434 during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

The patent applications were made in the name of the ProfessorDr. Lovejoy and other inventors, but the Company’s exclusive, worldwide rights to such patent applications are included in the License Agreement and its amendment with the University. The Company maintains exclusive licensing agreements and it currently controls the sixfive intellectual patent properties.

 

NOTE10                  COMMITTMENTS ANDCONTINGENCIES

Operating Lease with Related Party

The Company paid its sole employee and officer, a related party, serving as the interim president and chief operating officer of PTI U.S.A. and a director and president and chief operating officer of PTI Canada (the “Officer/Related Party”), rent on the property which the Company is renting. The Company occupies roughly 1/3 of the total rented area and pays rent in an amount approximately to 1/3 of the monthly rent on the property. As of December 31, 2015, the monthly rent is $430 per month.As of January 1, 2016 under the new employment agreement, we are no longer contractually obligated to pay this rent.

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE10                  COMMITTMENTS ANDCONTINGENCIES (CONTINUTED)

Employment Agreement

The Company had an employment agreement with its sole employee the Officer/Related Party which expired on December 31, 2015. The employment agreement indicated a salary of $6,489 per month plus a bonus, other healthcare benefits and was granted stock options during the year ended December 31, 2015, the Officer/Related Party has been granted 75,000 stock options, valued at $64,223 using the Black Scholes calculation of which $53,519 was expensed in 2015.

Consulting Agreement

PTI Canada entered into a consulting agreement with a stockholder of the Company, (the “Consultant”) which expired on December 31, 2015 pursuant to which the Consultant is responsible for overseeing i) design and development of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay “(ELISA”), assays for measuring TCAP, ii) evaluation of TCAP exposure biomarker assay, iii) development of pipeline peptides, and iv) development of clinically compatible formulations for TCAP, as well as all of the bench research and development of formulation and extraction methods. As of December 31, 2015, the Consultant has been granted 100,000 stock options which are fully vested, except for 4,167 stock options, at an exercise price of $1.00 exercisable over 10 year periods which ends either on March 30, 2021 or on March 1, 2024. The stock options were valued at $42,816 using the Black Scholes calculation of which $35,680 was expensed in 2015. The Consultant is paid approximately CA$1,000 per month. Either party may terminate the agreement (a) immediately at any time upon written notice to the other party in the event of a breach of the agreement by the other party which cannot be cured (i.e.breach of the confidentiality obligations) and or (b) at any time without cause upon not less than fifteen (15) days’ prior written notice to the other party. Upon expiration or termination, neither the Company nor Consultant will have any further obligations under the consulting agreement.

The Company paid the Consultant $10,861 and $11,650 for research and development projects during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Legal Proceedings

 

From time to time we may be named in claims arising in the ordinary course of business. Currently, no legal proceedings, government actions, administrative actions, investigations or claims are pending against us or involve us that, in the opinion of our management, could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

 

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE 11              SUBSEQUENT EVENTS10 – RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

On February 12, 2016, Protagenic Acquisition Corp. (“Acquisition Corp.”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atrinsic, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Atrinsic”), merged (the “Merger”) with and into the Company. The Company was the surviving corporationis provided free office space consisting of that Merger. As a result of the Merger, Atrinsic acquired the business ofconference room by the Company Executive Chairman, Dr. Armen. The Company does not pay any rent for the use of this space. This space is used for quarterly board meetings and will continue the existing business operations of the Company as a wholly-owned subsidiary. The Merger was accounted for as a reverse business combination.our annual shareholder meeting.

 

Simultaneously withOn February 13, 2020, the Merger, on February 12, 2016, all of theCompany issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock converted, on a 1 for 1 basis, into shares of the Atrinsic’s Series B Preferred Stock, par value $0.000001 per share (“Series B Preferred Stock”) (assuming no exercise of dissenters’ rights by any former Protagenic stockholder). Also on February 12, 2016, all of the issued and outstanding50,000 options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock and all of the issued and outstanding warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, converted, on a 1 for 1 basis, intorelated party. These options and new warrants, respectively, to purchase shares of Atrinsic’s Series B Preferred Stock. The new options will be administered under the Company’s 2006 Employee, Director and Consultant Stock Plan, which Atrinsic assumed and adopted on February 12, 2016, in connection with the Merger. Pursuant to the Certificate of Designations, each share of Series B Preferred Stock will immediately and automatically convert into one share of Common Stock at such time that we file an amendment to our certificate of incorporation effecting a one-for-15,463.7183 reverse stock split of our Common Stock so that we have a sufficient number of authorized and unissued shares of our Common Stock to permit the conversion of all outstanding shares of our Series B Preferred Stock into our Common Stock.

Concurrently with the closing of the Merger, we conducted the first closing of an offering (the “Private Offering”) of our Series B Preferred Stock. At the first closing, we sold 2,775,000 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at a purchase price of $1.25 per share, for which we received total gross consideration of $3,468,750. Of this amount, $350,000 consisted of conversion of outstanding stockholder debt held by Garo H. Armen, our chairmen and a member of our board of directors, inclusive of accrued but unpaid interest and $150,000 consisted of the conversion of Predecessor debt (inclusive of accrued but unpaid interest) held by shareholders of the Predecessor which was incurred to pay expenses of the Transactions, as defined below, incurred by or on behalf of the Predecessor. On March 2, 2016 we completed the second closing of the Private Offering, at which we issued an additional 913,200 shares of Series B Preferred Stock to accredited investors, for total gross proceeds of $1,141,500. On April 15, 2016 we completed the final closing of the Private Offering, at which we issued an additional 420,260 shares of Series B Preferred Stock to accredited investors, for total gross proceeds of $525,325.

For all three closings, we raised total gross proceeds of $4,635,575 and total net proceeds of $4,283,438 (or total gross proceeds of $5,135,575 and total net proceeds of $4,783,438, including the conversion of the $500,000 in principal and interest referred to above). We issued 4,108,460 shares of Series B Preferred Stock to investors in the Private Offering. The Placement Agent and its selected dealers were paid total cash commissions of $159,183 and the Placement Agent was paid an expense allowance of $15,000 and was issued (together with its selected dealers) Placement Agent Warrants to purchase 127,346 shares of Series B Preferred Stock athad an exercise price of $1.25 per share.$1.75 and a term of 48 months. (See Note 7)

 

 

PROTAGENICTHERAPEUTICS,INC.ANDSUBSIDIARY

NOTESTOCONSOLIDATEDFINANCIALSTATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2015AND2014

NOTE 12              RESTATEMENT OF PREVIOUSLY ISSUED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS11 – INCOME TAXES

 

SubsequentThe components of loss before income taxes are as follows:

  2020  2019 
Domestic  (2,542,428)  (1,698,689)
Foreign  (6,307)  (52,222)
Loss before income taxes  (2,548,735)  (1,750,911)

The Company had no income tax expense due to the original issuance of the Company’s consolidated financial statementsoperating losses incurred for the years ended December 31, 20142020 and 2013, Company’s management determined it had misclassified $179,098 of stock compensation expense that arose prior to 2013. Management has evaluated the effect of the error and determined it qualitatively was immaterial to the Company’s financial position and results of operations for2019.

For the years ended December 31, 20142020 and 2013. In accordance with guidelines issued in Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 108, we have revised the financial statements included herein and recorded the adjustment to opening equity. The impact2019, a reconciliation of the revision onCompany’s effective tax rate to the statutory U.S. Federal rate is as follows:

  2020  2019 
Income taxes at Federal statutory rate  (21.0)%  (21.0)%
State income taxes, net of Federal income tax effect  (8.6)%  (8.6)%
Perm difference  0.0%  0.0)%
Foreign tax rate differential  (0.4)%  (0.6)%
Change in valuation allowance  30.0%  30.2%
Other  0.0%  0.0%
Income tax provision  0.0%  0.0%

The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to the Company’s balance sheetdeferred tax assets and statementliabilities are as follows:

  2020  2019 
U.S. net operating loss carryforwards  2,907,000   2,894,000 
Stock compensation  1,217,000   784,000 
Canadian Provincial income tax losses  7,000   29,000 
Canadian Provincial scientific investment tax credits  (10,000)  (4,000)
   4,121,000   3,703,000 
Valuation allowance  (4,121,000)  (3,703,000)
Net deferred tax assets  -   - 

As of cash flowsDecember 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company had federal net operating loss carryforwards (“NOL”) of approximately $7,550,000 and $7,161,000, respectively. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“ TCJA”) will generally allow losses incurred after 2017 to be carried over indefinitely, but will generally limit the net operating loss deduction to the lesser of the net operating loss carryover or 80% of a corporation’s taxable income (subject to Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended). Also, there will be no carryback for losses incurred after 2017. Losses incurred prior to 2018 will generally be deductible to the extent of the lesser of a corporation’s net operating loss carryover or 100% of a corporation’s taxable income and be available for twenty years from the period the loss was generated. The federal net operating losses generated prior to 2018 of $0.1 million will expire at various dates through 2037. The CARES Act temporarily allows the Company to carryback net operating losses arising in 2018, 2019 and 2020 to the five prior tax years. In addition, net operating losses generated in these years could fully offset prior year taxable income without the 80% of the taxable income limitation under the TCJA which was enacted on December 22, 2017. The Company has been generating losses since its inception, as such the net operating loss carryback provision under the CARES Act is illustrated on a condensed basis below. not applicable to the Company. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company had state and local net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $7,540,000 and $7,153,000, respectively, to reduce future state tax liabilities also through 2035.

As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company had Canadian NOL of approximately $1,115,000 and $1,111,000, respectively. The Canadian losses expire in stages beginning in 2026. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company also has unclaimed Canadian federal scientific research and development investment tax credits, which are available to reduce future federal taxes payable of approximately $0 and $0 respectively.

As a result of losses and uncertainty of future profit, the aforementioned reclassification adjustment, therenet deferred tax asset has been fully reserved. The net change in the valuation allowance during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 was no impact on the 2014 Statementan increase of Operations.$418,000 and $661,000, respectively.

 

Balance Sheet

 

Amounts

Previously

Reported

  

Adjustment

  

As Restated

 

Additional paid in capital

 $5,580,548  $(179,058) $5,401,490 

Accumulated deficit

 $(5,461,933) $179,058  $(5,282,875)

Statement of Cash Flows

 

Amounts

Previously

Reported

  

Adjustment

  

As Restated

 
Cash flows from operating activities:            

Stock based compensation

 $264,226  $(179,058) $85,168 

Effect of exchange rate on cash and cash equivalents

 $(156,338) $179,058  $22,720 

Foreign earnings are assumed to be permanently reinvested. U.S. Federal income taxes have not been provided on undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiary.

 

The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in selling, general and administrative expenses. The Company has not identified any uncertain tax positions requiring a reserve as of December 31, 2020 and 2019.

The Company is required to file U.S. federal and state income tax returns. These returns are subject to audit by tax authorities beginning with the year ended December 31, 2017.

 

PROTAGENIC THERAPEUTICS, INC.NOTE 12 - SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

On February 25, 2021, the Company issued 366,000 options to purchase share of the Company’s common stock. 350,000 of these options vest over 48 months and have a term of ten years and the remaining 16,000 options vest immediately and have a term of five years. All of these options have an exercise price of $5.60.

 

4,485,806During the first quarter of 2021, a total of 268,233 warrants were exercised for a total of 161,026 shares

of the Company’s common stock

PROSPECTUS

January __, 2017stock.

 

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

ITEM 13. OTHER EXPENSES OF ISSUANCE AND DISTRIBUTION

 

Our estimatedThe following table sets forth the costs and expenses, other than the underwriting discounts and commissions, payable in connection with the issuancesale of common stock being registered. All amounts shown are estimates, except the Securities and distribution ofExchange Commission registration fee, the securities being registered are:Financial Industry Regulatory Authority filing fee and the Exchange listing fee.

 

Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee$
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority filing fee
Exchange listing fee
Legal fees and expenses
Accountants’ fees and expenses
Printing expenses
Transfer agent and registrar fees and expenses
Miscellaneous
Total$

 

82

SEC Registration Fee

 $564.65 
     

Accounting Fees and Expenses

 $10,000.00 
     

Legal Fees and Expenses

 $50,000.00 
     

Miscellaneous Fees and Expenses

 $5,000.00 
     

Total

 $65,564.65 

 

ITEM 14. INDEMNIFICATION OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

 

We are incorporated under the laws of the state of Delaware. Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) provides that a Delaware corporation may indemnify any personpersons who wasare, or is a party or isare threatened to be made, a partyparties to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of thesuch corporation), by reason of the fact that thesuch person is or was aan officer, director, officer, employee or agent of thesuch corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporationsuch person as aan officer, director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, againstenterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by thesuch person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, if theprovided that such person acted in good faith and in a manner the personhe or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’sthat his or her conduct was unlawful. Section 145 of the DGCL further provides that aillegal. A Delaware corporation similarly may indemnify any personpersons who wasare, or is a party or isare threatened to be made, a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that thesuch person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of thesuch corporation, or is or was serving at the request of thesuch corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise againstenterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by thesuch person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if theprovided such person acted in good faith and in a manner the personhe or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issueis permitted without judicial approval if the officer or matter as to which such person shall have beendirector is adjudged to be liable to the corporation. Where an officer or director is successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action referred to above, the corporation unlessmust indemnify him or her against the expenses that such officer or director has actually and onlyreasonably incurred. Our charter and bylaws provide for the indemnification of our directors and officers to the fullest extent thatpermitted under the Delaware CourtGeneral Corporation Law.

Section 102(b)(7) of Chancerythe Delaware General Corporation Law permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or such other court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudicationits stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duties as a director, except for liability for:

any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders;

any act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

any act related to unlawful stock repurchases, redemptions or other distributions or payment of dividends; or

any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

These limitations of liability but in viewdo not affect the availability of all ofequitable remedies such as injunctive relief or rescission. Our charter also authorizes us to indemnify our officers, directors and other agents to the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which thefullest extent permitted under Delaware Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.law.

 

As permitted by Section 145 of the DGCL alsoDelaware General Corporation Law, our bylaws provide that:

we may indemnify our directors, officers and employees to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, subject to limited exceptions;
we may advance expenses to our directors, officers and employees in connection with a legal proceeding to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, subject to limited exceptions; and
the rights provided in our bylaws are not exclusive.

Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides, among other things, that a corporation hasdirector who willfully or negligently approves of an unlawful payment of dividends or an unlawful stock purchase or redemption may be held liable for such actions. A director who was either absent when the powerunlawful actions were approved, or dissented at the time, may avoid liability by causing his or her dissent to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agentsuch actions to be entered in the books containing minutes of the corporation, or is or was servingmeetings of the board of directors at the requesttime such action occurred or immediately after such absent director receives notice of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under that section.unlawful acts.

 

Article Seventh of the Registrant’sOur Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Charter”) provides that no director shall be personally liable to the Registrantus or itsour stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty by such director as a director. No amendment, modification, or repeal of this Article Seventh shall apply to or have any effect on the liability or alleged liability of any of the Registrant’s directors for or with respect to any acts or omissions of such director occurring prior to such amendment.

Article Eighth of the Charter provides, among other things, that the Registrant shall indemnify, advance expenses, and hold harmless, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law as it presently exists or may hereafterthe DGCL

We have entered into Indemnification Agreements with the each of our directors and executive officers. Pursuant to our agreements, we will be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, onlyobligated, to the extent that such amendment permitspermitted by applicable law, to indemnify our directors and officers against all expenses, judgments, fines and penalties incurred in connection with the Registrant to provide broader indemnification rights than said law permitted the Registrant to provide prior to such amendment),defense or settlement of any person (a "Covered Person") who was or is made or is threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a ''Proceeding''),actions brought against them by reason of the fact that hethey were our directors or she,officers or a person for whom he or she is the legal representative, is or was a director or officer of the Registrant or, while a director or officer of the Registrant, is or was servingassumed certain responsibilities at the request of the Registrant as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust, enterprise or nonprofit entity, including service with respect to employee benefit plans, against all liability and loss suffered and expenses (including attorneys' fees) reasonably incurred by such Covered Person.our direction.

 

Article Eighth of the Charter also provides that the Registrant may maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and any director, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Registrant would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.

Article V, Section 1 of the Registrant’s Bylaws (the “Bylaws”) provides that each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved (including, without limitation, as a witness) in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or an officer of the Registrant or, while a director or officer of the Registrant, is or was serving at the request of the Registrant as a director, officer, or trustee of another corporation, or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan (hereinafter an “Indemnitee”), whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer or trustee or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer or trustee, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Registrant to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Registrant to provide broader indemnification rights than such law permitted the Registrant to provide prior to such amendment), against all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such Indemnitee in connection therewith; provided, however, that, except with respect to proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification or an advancement of expenses or as otherwise required by law, the Registrant shall not be required to indemnify or advance expenses to any such Indemnitee in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such Indemnitee unless such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Registrant’s Board of Directors.

Section 2 of Article V of the Bylaws provides that, in addition to the right to indemnification conferred in Article V, Section 1 of the Bylaws, an Indemnitee shallWe also have the rightpurchased directors and officer’s liability insurance in order to be paid by the Registrant the expenses (including attorney’s fees) incurred in defending any such proceeding in advancelimit our exposure to liability of its final disposition (an “advancementindemnification of expenses”); provided, however, that, if the DGCL requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by an Indemnitee in his or her capacity as a director or officer (and not in any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such Indemnitee, including, without limitation, service to an employee benefit plan) shall be made only upon delivery to the Registrant of an undertaking (hereinafter an “undertaking”), by or on behalf of such Indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal (hereinafter a “final adjudication”) that such Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under Section 2 or otherwise.

Both the Charterdirectors and the Bylaws provide that the Registrant may maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and any director, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Registrant would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.officers.

 

The Registrant intends to enter into Indemnification Agreements with eachform of its directors and executive officers. It is anticipated that these Indemnification Agreements will provide, among other things, that that the Registrant will indemnify and hold harmless each person subject to an IndemnificationUnderwriting Agreement, to be filed as Exhibit 1.1 hereto, provides for indemnification by the fullest extent permitted by applicable law fromunderwriters of us and against all losses, costs,our officers who sign this Registration Statement and directors for specified liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines, expenses and otherincluding matters that may result or arise in connection with such Indemnified Party serving in his or her capacity as a director of ours or serving at our direction as a director, officer, employee, fiduciary or agent of another entity. The Indemnification Agreements will further provide that, upon an Indemnified Party’s request,arising under the Registrant will advance expenses to the Indemnified Party to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. The Indemnification Agreement will require the Registrant to maintain in full force and effect directors’ liability insurance on the terms described in the Indemnification Agreement.Securities Act.

 

 

ITEM 15. RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES

 

Original Issuances of Stock and Warrants

 

Sales by Former Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.2019-2020 Convertible Note Offering

 

In 2013, 2011, 2010From November 21, 2019 through July 8, 2020, Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a Convertible Note Purchase Agreement (“Purchase Agreement”) with accredited investors (the “Investors”), pursuant to which the Company issued and 2007,sold unsecured convertible promissory notes (collectively, the former Protagenic sold a total of 2,223,519 shares of its common stock at a price of $1.00 per share. In 2013 and 2011 each share was accompanied by three warrants“Notes”) to purchase former Protagenic common stock, exercisable at $1.00 per share.

Sales by Our Predecessor, Atrinsic, Inc.

Between February 11, 2014 and December 9, 2015, Atrinsic, Inc. issued Secured Convertible Notesthe Investors in the aggregate principal amount of $665,000$1,570,000, as reported in Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on November 21, 2019, December 4, 2019, December 23, 2019, January 29, 2020, March 3, 2020, May 14, 2020, and July 8, 2020.

On August 11, 2020, the Company notified investors in a conference call that it was re-opening the convertible note financing, with identical terms to twothe previous round, except for the closing date, which has now been set at Friday, August 21st, at 5:00 pm.

On August 28, 2020, the “Company” entered into a Convertible Note Purchase Agreement with certain accredited investors, pursuant to which the Company issued and sold unsecured convertible promissory notes to the Investors in the aggregate principal amount of its shareholders.$427,500.

For both sets of Notes, the Notes will be due on November 6, 2023 (the “Maturity Date”) and accrue simple interest at an annual rate of 6% on the aggregate unconverted and outstanding principal amount, payable annually, beginning October 31, 2020. The Secured Convertible Notes have the same Maturity Date and interest rate as revisedthe set of convertible notes with an aggregate principal amount of $1,570,000 that the Company previously issued and amended, had a maturityreported in the Current Reports on Form 8-K filed respectively on November 21, 2019, December 4, 2019, December 23, 2019, January 29, 2020, March 3, 2020, May 14, 2020, and July 8, 2020. The Company will pay (a “PIK Payment”) the interest due by adding such interest (including interest at the Default Rate, as defined below, if any) to the then-outstanding principal amount of the Notes on each interest payment date and on the Maturity Date. Each PIK Payment will be preceded by written notice from the Company to each holder of August 31, 2016the Notes setting forth in reasonable detail the amount of such PIK Payment and borethe principal amount of the Notes following such PIK Payment. The Notes will bear interest at the rate of 5.0%12% per annum, payableyear (the “Default Rate”) following a Default (as defined below).

Holders may convert their Notes (including accrued interest) at maturity. The outstanding principal and accrued interest of each Secured Convertible Note was convertible, subjecttheir option, in whole or in part, at any time prior to a 4.99% beneficial ownership cap, into shares of Atrinsic Inc.’s common stockthe Maturity Date, at an initiala conversion price of $5.00 per share (subject to adjustment), at the option of the respective holders. The Secured Convertible Notes were exchanged for 295,945 Predecessor Warrants simultaneously with the closing of the Merger and the instruments by which they were secured were simultaneously terminated.

2016 Private Placement

In February, March and April 2016, we sold an aggregate of 4,108,460 shares of Series B Preferred Stock, par value $0.000001 per share(“Series B Preferred Stock”(the “Conversion Price”), at a price of $1.25 per share of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share. The Conversion Price is subject to adjustment for total gross proceedsany stock dividend, stock split, combination or other similar recapitalization event. On the Maturity Date, the Company is required to repay the Notes (including accrued interest) in their entirety in cash or, at its option, in shares of $4,635,575common stock at the Conversion Price.

The Company may redeem for cash or shares of common stock all or any portion of the Notes, at its option, on or after November 5, 2021 if the last reported sale price of its common stock has been at least 120% of the Conversion Price then in effect for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during any 30 consecutive trading day period ending on, and total net proceeds of $4,283,438 (or total gross proceeds of $5,135,575 and total net proceeds of $4,783,438, including, the conversiontrading day immediately preceding the date on which it provides notice of redemption. The redemption will be effected at a redemption price equal to 100% of the $500,000 ofoutstanding principal and accrued interest).  

In connection with the 2016 Private Placement, the Placement Agent and its selected dealers were paid total cash commissions of $159,183 and the Placement Agent was paid an expense allowance of $15,000 and was issued (together with its selected dealers) Placement Agent Warrants to purchase 127,346 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at an exercise price of $1.25 per share.

The transactions described above were exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2)amount of the Securities Act and/or Rule 506 of Regulation D thereunder.Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but excluding, the redemption date. Any such redemption must be applied ratably among all Convertible Notes in proportion to their respective outstanding principal balances, plus accrued and unpaid interest. Other than pursuant to this redemption right, the Company may not pre-pay the Notes.

 

Securities Act Exemptions

 

We deemed the transactions described above were exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance on Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, including Regulation D and Rule 506 promulgated thereunder, relative to transactions by an issuer not involving a public offering. All purchasers of securities in transactions exempt from registration pursuant to Regulation D represented to us that they were accredited investors and were acquiring the shares for investment purposes only and not with a view to, or for sale in connection with, any distribution thereof and that they could bear the risks of the investment and could hold the securities for an indefinite period of time. The purchasers received written disclosures that the securities had not been registered under the Securities Act and that any resale must be made pursuant to a registration statement or an available exemption from such registration.

 

All certificates representing the securities issued in the transactions described in this Item 15 included appropriate legends setting forth that the securities had not been offered or sold pursuant to a registration statement and describing the applicable restrictions on transfer of the securities. There were no underwriters employed in connection with any of the transactions set forth in this Item 15.

 

 

ITEM 16. EXHIBIT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

 

Exhibit

No.

Description

2.1

1.1*

Form of Underwriting Agreement

3.1*Third Amended and PlanRestated Certificate of Merger and Reorganization, dated asIncorporation of February 12, 2016, by and among Atrinsic, Inc. a Delaware corporation, Protagenic Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation and Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016).

2.2

Certificate of Merger as filed with the Delaware Secretary of State effective February 12, 2016 (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.2 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016).

2.3

Certificate of Ownership and Merger Merging Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. with and into Atrinsic, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.13.1 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on June 20, 2016.)

2016).

2.4

3.2*

Agreement of Merger of Atrinsic, Inc. and Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.2 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on June 20, 2016.)

3.1

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Atrinsic, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1(A) to Company’s registration statement on Form 10, as filed with the SEC on July 2, 2014 (the “Form 10”)).

3.2

Certificate of Designations, Powers, Preferences and Other Rights of Preferred Stock and Qualifications, Limitations and Restrictions Thereof of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock of Atrinsic, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 4,5, 2016.)

 

3.3

*

Certificate of Elimination of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock of Atrinsic, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on April 5, 2016.)

3.4

Certificate of Incorporation,Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Certificate of Amendment of Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Certificate for Renewal and Revival of Charter, Certificate for Renewal and Revival of Charter, and Certificate of Amendment of Restated Certificate of Incorporation, each ofBylaws Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc., as filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on September 24, 2004, August 19, 2005, October 26, 2006, March 5, 2007, September 14, 2015 and October 2, 2015, respectively (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016).

3.5

Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on June 20, 2016.)

1, 2018).

3.6

4.1*

Bylaws of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on July 15, 2016.)

4.1

Form of Warrant of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

4.2

4.2(i)*

Form of Predecessor Warrant of Atrinsic, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

4.3(i)

Warrant of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. issued to Garo H. Armen on May 19,17, 2011. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3(i) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

4.3(ii)

4.2(ii)*

Warrant of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. issued to Garo H. Armen on February 18, 2013.2013 (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3(ii) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

4.4(i)

4.3(i)*

Warrant of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. issued to Gregory H. Ekizian on July 7, 2011. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4(i) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

4.4(ii)

4.3(ii)*

Warrant of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. issued to PENSCO Trust Company, FBO Gregory H. Ekizian on February 18, 2013. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4(ii) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

4.5

4.4*

Form of Placement Agent Warrant (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on April 18, 2016).

5.1

Opinion of Meister Seelig & Fein LLP*

10.1

Form of Securities Purchase Agreement, by and between Atrinsic, Inc. and the investors in the Private Offering. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on April 18, 2016.)

10.2

4.5
 

Form of Registration Rights Agreement by and between Atrinsic, Inc. and the investorsWarrant (included in the Private Offering. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on April 18, 2016.)10.15)

   

10.3

5.1*
 

Placement Agency Agreement (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on April 18, 2016).

Opinion of Duane Morris LLP
   

10.4

10.1*
 

Delaware Escrow Agreement, by and between Atrinsic Inc., Depositor and Delaware Trust Company. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on April 18, 2016.)

10.5

Voting Agreement, effective February 12, 2016, among Atrinsic, Inc., the stockholders of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc., and Strategic Bio Partners, LLC. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.6

Indemnity Agreement, effective February 12, 2016, among Atrinsic, Inc., Strategic Bio Partners, LLC, and Iroquois Capital Management LLC and Hudson Bay Capital Management LP as guarantors. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.7

Split-Off Agreement, effective February 12, 2016, among Atrinsic, Inc., B.E. Global LLC and MomSpot LLC. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.8

General Release Agreement, effective February 12, 2016, among Atrinsic, Inc., B.E. Global LLC and MomSpot LLC. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.9

Split-Off Agreement, effective February 12, 2016, between Atrinsic, Inc. and Quintel Holdings, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.10

General Release Agreement, effective February 12, 2016, between Atrinsic, Inc. and Quintel Holdings, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.11

Investor Note Exchange Agreement, effective February 12, 2016, among Atrinsic, Inc. and the investors of Atrinsic, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.12

Preferred Stock Exchange Agreement, effective February 12, 2016, among Atrinsic, Inc. and the investors of Atrinsic, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.13

Employment Agreement, effective January 1, 2014 between Protagenic Therapeutics Canada (2006) Inc. and Dr. Robert Ziroyan.Ziroyan (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)**

   

10.14

10.2*
 

Consulting Agreement, effective December 18, 2020, between Protagenic Therapeutics Inc. and Dr. Andrew Slee (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on March 24, 2021)

10.3*Consulting Agreement, as amended, between Protagenic Therapeutics Canada (2006) Inc. and Dr. Dalia Barsyte.Barsyte (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

   

10.15

10.4*
 

Consulting Agreement between Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.Amended and Brandt J. Mandia. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.16

Restated Consulting Agreement, effective January 23, 2015,December 18, 2020, between Protagenic Therapeutics Inc. and Dr. Robert B. Stein.Stein (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1510.2 to Company’s CurrentAnnual Report on Form 8-K,10-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)**

March 24, 2021)
   

10.17

10.5*
 

Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. 2006 Employee, Director and Consultant Stock Plan (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)**

   

10.18

10.6*
 

Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Award Agreement under the 2006 Employee, Director and Consultant Stock Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.) **

   

10.19

10.7(i)*
 

Form of Indemnification Agreement. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Form 10.)**

10.20(i)

Technology License Agreement, effective July 21, 2005, between The University of Toronto Innovations Foundation and Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19(i) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

   

10.20(ii)

10.7(ii)*
 

First Amendment to Technology License Agreement, effective February 18, 2015, between the Governing Council of the University of Toronto and Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19(ii) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

   

10.21(i)

10.8(i)*
 

Sponsored Research Agreement, effective April 1, 2014, between the Governing Council of the University of Toronto and Protagenic Therapeutics Canada (2006), Inc., Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20(i) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

   

10.21(ii)

10.8(ii)*
 

Amendment to the Sponsored Research Agreement, effective April 1, 2015, between the Governing Council of the University of Toronto and Protagenic Therapeutics Canada (2006), Inc., Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20(ii) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.22(i)

Bridge Loan Agreement, effective April 15, 2015, between Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. and Dr. Garo H. Armen. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21(i) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.22(ii)

10.9*

Bridge Loan Agreement, effective May 28, 2015, between Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. and Dr. Garo H. Armen. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21(ii) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.22(iii)

Bridge Loan Agreement, effective July 1, 2015, between Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. and Dr. Garo H. Armen. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21(iii) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.22(iv)

Bridge Loan Agreement, effective September 1, 2015, between Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. and Dr. Garo H. Armen. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21(iv) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.22(v)

Bridge Loan Agreement, effective October 29, 2015, between Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. and Dr. Garo H. Armen. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21(v) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.22(vi)

Bridge Loan Agreement, effective December 23, 2015, between Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. and Dr. Garo H. Armen. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21(vi) to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.23

Stock Purchase Agreement, effective December 21, 2015, between Mark Berg and Alexander Arrow. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

10.24

Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. 2016 Equity Compensation Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on June 20, 2016.)**

10.25

10.10*

Form of Incentive Stock Option Agreement under the Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. 2016 Equity Compensation Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on June 20, 2016.) **

10.26

10.11*

Form of Non-QualifiedNonqualified Stock Option Grant Agreement under the Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. 2016 Equity Compensation Plan. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on June 20, 2016.) **

85

 

10.12*

10.27

Letter dated June 17, 2016 from Schulman Lobel Zand Katzen Williams & Blackman LLP re change in Certifying accountant.Form of Convertible Note Purchase Agreement (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.410.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on June 20, 2016.)

November 21, 2019)

21.1

10.13*

SubsidiariesForm of Atrinsic, Inc.Convertible Promissory Note (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21.110.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016.)

23.1

Consent of Marcum LLP

23.2

Consent of Schulman Lobel Zand Katzen Williams & Blackman LLP

November 21, 2019)
   

24.1

10.14*
 

PowerForm of Attorney (included on the signature page)*

99.1

Audited financial statements of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. as of and for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.Guaranty (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.110.2 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A, as filed with the SEC on July 12, 2016.)

99.2

Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2015. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A, as filed with the SEC on July 12, 2016.)

99.3

Audit Committee Charter adopted by the Board of Directors of Atrinsic, Inc. on March 25, 2016. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on November 21, 2019)

10.15Form of Warrant Agent Agreement
14.1*Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 14.1 to the Current Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on April 26, 2016.)18, 2017).
14.2*Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. Guideline on Significant Corporate Governance Issues (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 14.2 to the Current Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on April 18, 2017).

14.3*

Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. Process for Security Holder Communications with Directors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 14.3 to the Current Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on April 18, 2017).

21.1*

Subsidiaries (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on March 24, 2021)

99.4

23.1Consent of MaloneBailey, LLP
24.1*Power of Attorney (contained on the signature pages to Registration Statement on Form S-1)
99.1*Audit Committee Charter adopted by the Board of Directors of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. on March 7, 2017. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on March 24, 2021.)
99.2*Compensation Committee Charter adopted by the Board of Directors of Atrinsic,Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. on March 25, 2016.7, 2017. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to Company’s CurrentAnnual Report on Form 8-K,10-K, as filed with the SEC on April 26, 2016.March 24, 2021.)

99.5

99.3*

Governance and Nominating Committee Charter adopted by the Board of Directors of Atrinsic,Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. on March 25, 2016.7, 2017. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.3 to Company’s CurrentAnnual Report on Form 8-K,10-K, as filed with the SEC on March 24, 2021.)

99.4*Science Committee Charter adopted by the Board of Directors of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on April 26, 2016.)

29, 2020)
99.5*Clinical & Regulatory Committee Charter adopted by the Board of Directors of Protagenic Therapeutics, Inc.

 

*

Previously filed

**

Designates management contracts and compensation plans (and filed herewith, except as expressly stated otherwise)

 

 

ITEM 17. UNDERTAKINGS

 

(A) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

 

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: 

(i)

To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii)

To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

(iii)

To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

(2)

That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3)

To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4)

That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A (§230.430A of this chapter), shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

(5)

That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:

 

The(i) To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increases or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

(i) If the registrant is relying on Rule 430B:

(A) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date; or

(ii) If the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

87

(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

 

(i)

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

 

(ii)

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

 

(iii)

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

 

(iv)

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

 

(6) To provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

(B) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

(C) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on this 27th23rd day of January, 2017.

April, 2021.

 

PROTAGENIC THERAPEUTICS, INC.

By:

 /s//s/ Garo H. Armen

Garo H. Armen

Chairman

(Principal Executive Officer and


Duly Authorized Officer)

 

PursuantPOWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS that each individual whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Garo H. Armen as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign this registration statement and any and all amendments thereto, including post-effective amendments, and to file the requirements ofsame, with all exhibits thereto, any related registration filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed belowand other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all the said attorney-in-fact and agent or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.virtue hereof.

 

Signatures

Title

Date

/s/ /s/ Garo H. Armen

Director and Chairman of the Board

January 27, 2017

April 23, 2021

Garo H. Armen

(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Alexander K. Arrow

Chief Financial Officer

January 27, 2017

Alexander K. Arrow

(Principal Financial Officer)

/s/ *

Director

January 27, 2017

Robert B. Stein

 

/s/ *

Director

January 27, 2017

Khalil Barrage

 

 /s/ Alexander K. Arrow

Chief Financial Officer

April 23, 2021

/s/ *

Alexander K. Arrow

Director

(Principal Financial Officer)

January 27, 2017

Gregory H. Ekizian

 

/s/ *

Director

January 27, 2017

Joshua Silverman

 

 /s/ Robert B. Stein
Director and Chief Medical OfficerApril 23, 2021
Robert B. Stein
/s/ Khalil BarrageDirectorApril 23, 2021
Khalil Barrage
/s/ Brian CorveseDirectorApril 23, 2021
Brian Corvese
 /s/ Jennifer BuellDirectorApril 23, 2021
Jennifer Buell
 /s/ Joshua SilvermanDirectorApril 23, 2021
Joshua Silverman    

 

 

* By: /s/ Garo H. Armen                                     

          Garo H. Armen

          Attorney-in-fact

 

 

80

PROTAGENIC THERAPEUTICS, INC.

2,650,000 units

Each unit of consisting of one share of Common Stock and one Warrant to Purchase one share of Common Stock

PROSPECTUS

Sole Book-Running Manager

KINGSWOOD CAPITAL MARKETS,

division of Benchmark Investments, Inc.

Co-Manager

BROOKLINE CAPITAL MARKETS,

a division of Arcadia Securities, LLC

April 23, 2021