UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

x Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934  

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2014

 

¨ Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the transition period from ____ to ____

 

Commission File No. 000-51290

 

Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   52-1841431
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)   (IRS Employer Identification No.)

 

430 East 29th Street, Suite 940, New York, NY 10016

(Address of principal executive offices) (zip code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (646) 440-9310

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class   Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share   The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes    ¨   No    x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.  Yes    ¨  No    x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes    x    No      ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  x Yes    ¨  No

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendments to this Form 10-K.      ¨

 

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.

 

Large accelerated filer ¨   Accelerated filer ¨
Non-accelerated filer ¨   Smaller reporting company x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨     No x

 

As of June 30, 2014, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of shares of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant (without admitting that any person whose shares are not included in such calculation is an affiliate), computed by reference to the closing bid price of such shares on the OTCQX ($2.55) was $20,694,255.

 

As of April 13, 2015, the registrant had outstanding 24,566,616 shares of common stock, $.0001 par value per share.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

The following documents (or parts thereof) are incorporated by reference into the following parts of this Form 10-K: portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated herein by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the extent stated herein. Such Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2014.

 

 
 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

PART I    
Item 1. Business 1
Item 1A. Risk Factors 18
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 46
Item 2. Properties 46
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 46
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 47
PART II    
Item 5. Market for the Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 47
Item 6. Selected Financial Data 48
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition And Results of Operations 49
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 62
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 62
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures 62
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 62
Item 9B. Other Information 63
PART IV    
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 64
   
SIGNATURES 69

 

Explanatory Note

 

On August 25, 2013, Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. (formerly, EpiCept Corporation), a Delaware corporation, or Immune, closed a merger transaction, or the Merger, with Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a privately held Israeli company, or Immune Ltd., pursuant to a definitive Merger Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated as of November 7, 2012, as amended, or the Merger Agreement, by and among Immune, EpiCept Israel Ltd., or the Merger Sub, an Israeli company and a wholly-owned subsidiary and Immune Ltd. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub merged with and into Immune Ltd., following which Immune Ltd. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Immune and the former stockholders of Immune Ltd. received shares of Immune that constituted a majority of the outstanding shares of Immune.

 

As a result, the Merger has been accounted for as a reverse acquisition under which Immune Ltd. was considered for accounting purposes as the acquirer of Immune. As such, the financial statements of Immune Ltd. are treated as the historical financial statements of the combined company, with the results of Immune being included from August 26, 2013 and thereafter.

 

All references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to “we,” “us,” “our,” “Immune,” or the “Company” refer to Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries for periods after the closing of the Merger, and to Immune Ltd., an Israeli company, and its consolidated subsidiaries for periods prior to the closing of the Merger, unless the context requires otherwise.

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, or Form 10-K, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, prospective products, product approvals, research and development costs, timing and likelihood of success, plans and objectives of management for future operations and future results of anticipated products, are forward-looking statements.

 

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Form 10-K, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in this Form 10-K and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described under the sections in this Form 10-K entitled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

 

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These factors include, among others:

 

· the risks associated with our ability to continue to meet our obligations under our existing debt agreements;
· the risk that we will not be able to find a partner for AmiKet™ on attractive terms, a timely basis, or at all;
· the risk that we will not obtain approval to market and commercialize any of our product candidates;
· the risks associated with dependence upon key personnel;
· the risks associated with reliance on collaborative partners and others for further clinical trials, development, manufacturing and commercialization of our product candidates;
· the cost, delays and uncertainties associated with our scientific research, product development, clinical trials and regulatory approval process;
· our history of operating losses since our inception;
· the highly competitive nature of our business;
· risks associated with litigation;
· risks associated with our ability to protect our intellectual property;
· risks associate with our ability to raise additional funds;
· risks related to our ability to continue to operate as a going concern; and
· our liquidity.

 

Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, or how they may affect us. Except as required by law, we have no duty to, and do not intend to, update or revise the forward-looking statements in this Form 10-K after the date of this Form 10-K, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise. This Form 10-K also contains market data related to our business and industry. This market data includes projections that are based on a number of assumptions. If these assumptions turn out to be incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on these assumptions. As a result, our markets may not grow at the rates projected by these data, or at all. The failure of these markets to grow at these projected rates may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and the market price of our common stock.

 

References in this Form 10-K to the “FDA” means the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Unless otherwise stated, all amounts are stated in thousands of U.S. dollars, excluding per share amounts.

 

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PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

 

Overview

 

Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development and commercialization of targeted therapeutics, including monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs, nano-therapeutics and antibody drug conjugates, for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancer. We favor a personalized approach to treatment, with the development and use of our product candidates with companion diagnostics. Our core pipeline includes, Bertilimumab, a clinical-stage first-in-class fully human antibody, targeting eotaxin-1, which has been shown to be involved in a number of immune mediated diseases and NanomAbs®, a technology platform that allows the targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics into cancer cells. We expect to receive in the future licensing revenues from the partnering of our Phase III ready AmiKet TM for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

 

We favor a personalized approach to treatment with the development and use of companion diagnostics. Bertilimumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that targets Eotaxin-1. There are 1475 scientific publications –referring to Eotaxin-1 according to the National Institutes of Health website. Eotaxin-1 has been validated as a bio-marker of disease severity and a therapeutic target for several inflammatory diseases. Eotaxin-1 binds primarily to CCR3 chemokine receptors of eosinophils and Th2- type T-Lymphocytes. Eotaxin-1 has been implicated in innate immunity regulation and in the transition from innate to adaptive immunity. Eotaxin-1 has also been implicated in the regulation of angiogenesis and neurogenesis. Bertilimumab is the only clinical stage drug specifically targeting eotaxin-1.

 

We are planning to start enrolling patients in the second quarter 2015 in a placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase II clinical trial with Bertilimumab for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and an open label, Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of bullous pemphigoid, or BP, a dermatologic auto-immune orphan condition. We are initiating development of Bertilimumab in chronic liver diseases including non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH). We will assess further development in other indications, including Crohn’s disease, and severe eosinophilic asthma, cancer and neurological disorders based on existing scientific evidence on the role of eotaxin-1 in disease and clinical development feasibility.

 

We are building a long-term pipeline through the development of the NanomAbs, Antibody Nanoparticle Conjugates, which allow for the targeted delivery of cytotoxic drugs for the treatment of cancer.

 

In December 2014, we initiated a partnering process for our pain compound AmiKet, a topical cream consisting of a patented combination of amitriptyline and ketamine that is ready for a Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of peripheral neuropathies. We believe that we will secure a partner and enter into an out-licensing agreement for AmiKet in the second quarter of 2015.

 

In August 2014, our common stock was approved for listing and commenced trading on The NASDAQ Capital Market.

 

Since our inception on July 11, 2010 (“Inception”), we incurred significant losses and expect to continue to operate at a net loss in the foreseeable future. For the year ended December 31, 2014, we incurred net losses of $23,550 and a total accumulated deficit of $45,829. Our existing cash at December 31, 2014, together with the $5,000 revolving line of credit we obtained from a related party in April 2014 is sufficient to fund our operations, anticipated capital expenditures, working capital and other financing requirements in the next twelve months. Our ability to continue as a going concern is predicated upon being able to draw down on the $5,000 revolving line of credit. If such line were not available, we will not be able to support our current level of operations for the next 12 months. We will require additional financing in order to continue at our expected level of operations. If we fail to obtain needed capital, we will be forced to delay, scale back, partner out or eliminate some or all of our research and development programs, which could result in an impairment of our intangible assets.

 

Financing Activities

 

During the year ended December 31, 2014, our net cash provided by financing activities included cash provided by the March 2014 Financing, the private placements in August and September of 2014, the November 2014 underwritten public offering, the November 2014 convertible promissory note, and exercise of options and warrants totaling $22,451, and repayment of loans of $1,486. In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2013, we raised $4,368 through the issuance of shares and warrants to our investors.

 

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We have historically funded our operations primarily through the sale of our securities. We anticipate issuing equity and/or debt as a source of liquidity, when needed, until we generate positive cash flow to support our operations. We cannot give any assurance that the necessary capital will be raised or that, if funds are raised, it will be on favorable terms.

 

Recent Developments

 

Memorandum of Understanding with Yissum Research Development Company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ltd.

 

On March 10, 2015, we entered into a binding memorandum of understanding (the “MOU”) with Yissum Research Development Company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ltd. (“Yissum”) regarding certain of Yissum’s patents in connection with nanoparticles for topical delivery (the “Technology”) for AmiKet, our neuropathic pain drug candidate, which is ready for a Phase III clinical trial and which has received Orphan Drug Designation for post-herpetic neuralgia, or PHN . Pursuant to the MOU, we will be enter into a definitive license agreement (the “License”) within six months of the date of the MOU (subject to an extension), for the commercial development and marketing of the Technology worldwide. In addition, we will sponsor Yissum’s further research and development of the Technology for AmiKet.

 

In consideration for the License to be executed, we will be obligated to pay Yissum the following payments:

 

An annual maintenance fee of $30 beginning five years after the execution of the License, which maintenance fee shall increase at a rate of 30% each year, up to a maximum of $100 and may be credited against royalties or milestone payments payable in the same calendar year.

 

Royalties on net sales of products by us in the amount of up to 3%, subject to certain possible reductions.

 

Up to approximately $4,500 upon the achievement of certain regulatory, clinical development and commercialization milestones.

 

In addition, we will sponsor the further research of the Technology to be conducted by Yissum, with a minimum payment of $300 for the first year, which amount shall be reviewed and approved by the parties on an annual basis.

 

Preferred C stock

 

On March 10, 2015, in accordance with the terms of our Series C Preferred Stock (”Preferred C stock”), the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock was reduced to $1.51, which is 85% of the average of the 20 closing prices of the common stock immediately prior to such date. Consequently, as of March 10, 2015, an additional 710,015 shares of common stock are issuable upon the conversion of the Preferred C Stock, and an additional 64,187 shares are issuable as payment for dividends thereon (the dividend amount represents the annual 8% accrual for the additional common stock shares to be issued due to triggering event).

 

Going Concern

 

Our ability to continue as a “going concern” is dependent on a combination of several of the following factors: our ability to generate revenues and raise capital, the election by holders of our outstanding warrants to exercise those warrants for cash and our access to an established credit line. We have limited capital resources and our operations, since inception, have been funded by the proceeds of equity and debt financings. As of December 31, 2014, we had $6,767 in cash and cash equivalents. We have access to a $5,000 revolving line of credit, which we obtained from a related party in April 2014, and may become available to us during a four-week period following written notice. If the credit line becomes unavailable for any reason and we fail to raise additional capital, we may be forced to scale back or eliminate some or all of our research and development programs.

 

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Our Product Candidates

 

Bertilimumab

 

Our lead product candidate, Bertilimumab, is a fully human monoclonal antibody that targets eotaxin-1, a chemokine involved in inflammation. Bertilimumab has met the regulatory requirements for Phase II trials and we have obtained approval to initiate a placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase II clinical trial with Bertilimumab for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) and a Phase II clinical trial for bullous pemphigoid (BP), an auto-immune dermatological orphan indication. Enrollment of patients in the UC clinical trial is scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2015. We have submitted an orphan drug application for BP to the FDA and are planning to submit an IND in the second quarter of 2015 in order to expand our BP program to the United States. In addition, we began planning for the clinical development in several other indications, including Non-Alcoholic Steato-Hepatitis (NASH) which we expect to initiate in the fourth quarter of 2015.

 

AmiKet

 

AmiKet is a prescription topical analgesic cream containing a formulation of two FDA-approved drugs; amitriptyline, which is a widely-used antidepressant, and ketamine, an NMDA (N- methyl-D-aspartic acid) antagonist that is used as an intravenous anesthetic. AmiKet is designed to provide effective, long-term relief from the pain caused by peripheral neuropathies. Peripheral neuropathy is a medical condition caused by damage to the nerves in the peripheral nervous system, which includes nerves that run from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body. Since each of these ingredients has been shown to have significant analgesic effects and because NMDA antagonists, such as ketamine, have demonstrated the ability to enhance the analgesic effects of amitriptyline, we believe the combination is a good candidate for the development of a new class of analgesics. We believe that AmiKet can be used effectively in conjunction with orally-delivered analgesics, such as gabapentin.

 

AmiKet is an odorless, white vanishing cream that is applied twice-daily and is quickly absorbed into the applied area. We believe that the topical delivery of its patented combination represents a fundamentally new approach for the treatment of pain associated with peripheral neuropathy. In addition, we believe that the topical delivery of our product candidate will significantly reduce the risk of adverse side effects and drug-to-drug interactions associated with the systemic delivery of the active ingredients. The results of our clinical trials to date have demonstrated the safety of the cream for use for up to one year and a potent analgesic effect in subjects with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, or CIPN, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, or DPN, and post herpetic neuralgia.

 

In 2010, the FDA has granted AmiKet Orphan Drug status for the treatment of post herpetic neuralgia.

 

In December 2011, we met with the FDA and were granted permission by the FDA to initiate immediately the Phase III clinical development of AmiKet in the treatment of CIPN. Fast Track designation was granted to us in April 2012. The FDA’s Fast Track program is designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs intended to treat serious or life-threatening conditions and address unmet medical needs.

 

In 2014, we completed a comprehensive review of the safety and efficacy of Phase I and II clinical trial data which totaled 1700 patients with neuropathic pain. Post Herpetic Neuralgia was selected as the lead indication and two new Phase III clinical studies were designed and discussed as part of the overall development plan with the UK and the Netherlands regulatory agencies. Comments from European regulators generally aligned with previous guidance from the FDA, supporting a global development plan for AmiKet. A formal partnering process for AmiKet was initiated in December 2014, which we expect to complete in the second or third quarter 2015. Although we believe that we will enter into an agreement with a development and commercial partner during the second quarter of 2015, there can be no assurance that we will do so on favorable terms if at all.

 

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In March 2015, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Yissum to license Yissum patents in order to facilitate the development of a topical nanoparticle formulation of AmiKet. This new formulation may provide additional clinical benefits and could increase the market exclusivity of AmiKet by more than 10 years. The increase in market exclusivity period is based on the Yissum patent filed in 2012 and an additional novel patent expected to be filed in 2016 which will support development of additional pain indications.

 

NanomAbs Technology Platform

 

Our NanomAbs technology platform is an antibody-drug conjugate (“ADC”) platform capable of generating novel drugs with enhanced profiles, as compared to stand alone antibodies or ADCs. Antibodies are large, complex proteins produced by immune cells that bind to and help eliminate foreign and infectious agents in the body. Antibodies are Y-shaped, composed of two arms that recognize a unique part of the foreign target, called an antigen, and a stem that triggers the activation of additional immune cells. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) bind to a specific site in the antigen and can be designed to target specific cells and portions of cells that are involved in human diseases in order to neutralize their function or eliminate them completely. The main advantage of mAbs is their high selectivity and specificity to their target, which typically results in lower toxicity as compared to small molecule drugs. Our NanomAbs technology conjugates mAbs to drug loaded nanoparticles to target the drugs to specific cells. NanomAbs selectively accumulate in diseased tissues and cells, resulting in higher drug accumulation at the site of action with minimal off-target exposure. We are building a longer-term pipeline of NanomAbs for the treatment of cancer and may enter into collaborative agreements with other companies to acquire complementary drugs or technologies to accelerate the development of NanomAbs drug candidates.

 

Crolibulin TM

 

Crolibulin, another product candidate, is a novel small molecule vascular disruption agent, or VDA, and apoptosis inducer for the treatment of patients with solid tumors. Crolibulin is being studied by the National Cancer Institute in a Phase I/II for the treatment of Anaplastic Thyroid cancer (ATC). Crolibulin has shown promising vascular targeting activity with potent anti-tumor activity in pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo studies and in Phase I clinical trial. The molecule has been shown to induce tumor cell apoptosis and selectively inhibit growth of proliferating cell lines, including multi-drug resistant cell lines. Murine models of human tumor xenografts demonstrated Crolibulin inhibits growth of established tumors of a number of different cancer types. In preclinical tumored animal models, combination therapy has demonstrated synergistic activity with cytotoxic drugs as well as anti-angiogenic drugs. This may support further development of Crolibulin by us and/or a partner in a variety of cancers other than ATC, including but not limited to refractory ovarian cancer and Neuro-Endocrine Tumors.

 

License Agreements and other Collaborative Research and Development Arrangements

 

iCo Therapeutics Inc.

 

In December 2010, iCo granted us an option to sub-license the use of Bertilimumab from iCo, which obtained certain exclusive license rights to intellectual property relating to Bertilimumab pursuant to a license agreement with Cambridge Antibody Technology Group Plc, a biotechnology company, dated December 20, 2006, and to which we became a party. On June 24, 2011, we exercised our option and obtained a worldwide license from iCo for the use and development of Bertilimumab for all human indications, other than ocular indications, pursuant to a product sub-license agreement. We paid iCo upfront consideration of $500, plus common stock and warrants to purchase our common stock.  In addition, iCo may receive from us $32,000 in milestone payments plus royalties. These milestones include the first dosing in a Phase III clinical trial, filing a Biologics License Application/Marketing Authorization Application, or a BLA/MMA, approval of a BLA/MAA and the achievement of $100,000 in aggregate sales of licensed products for use in IBD.  The term of the license lasts until the expiration of all payment obligations on a country-by-basis, at which point the license will be deemed fully paid, perpetual and irrevocable with respect to that country.  However, iCo retains the worldwide exclusive right to the use of Bertilimumab (iCo-008) for all ocular applications.  

 

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Yissum Research Development Company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ltd.

 

On April 6, 2011, Yissum granted us a license that includes patents, research results and know-how developed by Professor Simon Benita related to the NanomAbs technology. Yissum granted us an exclusive license, with a right to sub-license, to make commercial use of the licensed technology in order to develop, manufacture, market, distribute or sell products derived from the license. As consideration for the grant of the license, we are required to pay the following consideration: (i) royalties in the amount of up to 4.5% of net sales; (ii) an annual license maintenance fee between $30 for the first year and up to a maximum of $100 from the first year through the sixth year; (iii) research fees of at least $300 for the first year and at least $100 from the second year through the sixth year (but, not to exceed $1,800 in the aggregate); (iv) milestone payments up to $8,550 (based on the attainment of certain milestones, including IND application submission, patient enrollment in clinical trials, regulatory approval and commercial sales); (v) sub-license fees in amounts up to 18% of any sub-license consideration; and (vi) equity consideration in the amount of 8% of the our shares of common stock on a fully diluted basis.  The license expires, on a country-by-country basis, upon the later of the expiration of (i) the last valid licensed patent, (ii) any exclusivity granted by a governmental or regulatory body on any product developed through the use of the licensed technology or (iii) the 15-year period commencing on the date of the first commercial sale of any product developed through the use of the licensed technology.  Upon the expiration of the license, we will have a fully-paid, non-exclusive license to the licensed technology. 

 

On March 10, 2015, we entered into a binding MOU with Yissum regarding certain of Yissum’s patents in connection with nanoparticles for topical delivery (the “Technology”) for AmiKet, our neuropathic pain drug candidate which is ready for a Phase III clinical trial and which has received Orphan Drug Designation for Post Herpetic Neuralgia . Pursuant to the MOU, we will be enter into a definitive license agreement (the “License”) within six months of the date of the MOU (subject to an extension), for the commercial development and marketing of the Technology worldwide. In addition, we will sponsor Yissum’s further research and development of the Technology for AmiKet.

 

In consideration for the License to be executed, we will be obligated to pay Yissum the following payments:

 

An annual maintenance fee of $30 beginning five years after the execution of the License, which maintenance fee shall increase at a rate of 30% each year, up to a maximum of $100 and may be credited against royalties or milestone payments payable in the same calendar year.

 

Royalties on net sales of products by us in the amount of up to 3%, subject to certain possible reductions.

 

Up to approximately $4,500 upon the achievement of certain regulatory, clinical development and commercialization milestones.

 

In addition, we will sponsor the further research of the Technology to be conducted by Yissum, with a minimum payment of $300 for the first year, which amount shall be reviewed and approved by the parties on an annual basis.

 

MabLife SAS

 

On March 28, 2012, we acquired from MabLife SAS (“MabLife”), through an assignment agreement, all right, title and interest in and to the patent rights, technology and deliverables related to the anti-Ferritin mAb, AMB8LK, including its nucleotide and protein sequences, its ability to recognize human acid and basic ferritins, or a part of its ability to recognize human acid and basic ferritins.  The consideration is as follows: (i) $600 payable in six annual installments (payments to date totaled $180); and (ii) royalties of 0.6% of net sales of any product containing AMB8LK or the manufacture, use, sale, offering or importation of which would infringe on the patent rights with respect to AMB8LK.  We are required to assign the foregoing rights back to MabLife if we fail to make any of the required payments, are declared insolvent or bankrupt or terminate the agreement. In February 2014, the parties revised the payment arrangement for the purchase of the original assignment rights. $60 was paid upon execution of agreement in April 2012. According to the revised schedule, remaining payments are due as follows: $180 was to be paid in 2014 in total, $120 in 2015 through 2017. A total of $180 was paid in 2014.

  

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In February 2014, we acquired from MabLife, through an irrevocable, exclusive, assignment of all rights, titles and interests in and to the secondary patent rights related to the use of anti-ferritin monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of some cancers, Nucleotide and protein sequences of an antibody directed against an epitope common to human acidic and basic ferritins, monoclonal antibodies or antibody-like molecules comprising these sequences. As full consideration for the secondary patent rights, we shall pay a total of $150, of which $15 was paid and $25 will be paid on the first through fourth anniversary of the agreement and an additional $35 on the fifth anniversary of the agreement.

 

Jean Kadouche, Immune Pharma (Technologies SAS) and Alan Razafindrastita

 

In December 2011, Jean Ellie Kadouche, and Immune Pharma (Technologies) sold, assigned and transferred to us the entire right, title and interest for all countries, in and to any and all patents and inventions related to mice producing human antibodies and a method of preparation of human antibodies for nominal cash consideration paid to Dr. Jean Kadouche and 800,000 of shares of our common stock (registered in the name of Jean Kadouche) and $20 (paid to Jean Kadouche and Alan Razafindrastita), collectively, the Human Antibody Production Technology Platform.  Through the Human Antibody Production Technology Platform and additional laboratory work, human immune systems and specific cell lines are introduced in mice, enabling the mice to produce human mAbs.  With additional laboratory work, the human mAbs can be produced in an efficient manner.

 

Lonza Sales AG

 

On May 2, 2012, Lonza Sales AG, or Lonza, granted us a sublicensable, non-exclusive worldwide license under certain know-how and patent rights to use, develop, manufacture, market, sell, offer, distribute, import and export Bertilimumab, as it is produced through the use of Lonza’s system of cell lines, vectors and know-how.  If Lonza manufactures the Bertilimumab, we must pay to Lonza a royalty of 1% of the net selling price of the product, if we or one of our strategic partners manufactures the Bertilimumab, we must pay to Lonza £75 (or approximately $114), annually during the course of the license agreement (first payable upon commencement of Phase II clinical trials) plus a royalty of 1.5% of the net selling price of the product, and if any other party manufactures the Bertilimumab, we must pay to Lonza £300, or approximately $500 per sublicense annually during the duration of such sublicense plus a royalty of 2% of the net selling price of the product.  In addition, we must pay Lonza £2, or approximately $3 for the supply of certain cell lines, if we use such cell lines.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, we are not obligated to manufacture Bertilimumab through the use of Lonza’s system.  The royalties are subject to a 50% reduction based on the lack of certain patent protections, including the expiration of patents, on a country-by-country basis.  Unless earlier terminated (including, but not limited to, the reasons set forth below), the license agreement continues until the expiration of the last enforceable valid claim to the licensed patent rights, which began to expire in 2014 and will continue to expire between 2015 and 2016. We may terminate the license agreement for convenience upon 60 days prior written notice to Lonza.  Either Lonza or we may terminate the license agreement by prior written notice if (i) the other party commits a breach that is not remedied within 30 days of notice of such breach requiring its remedy (if such breach is capable of being remedied) or (ii) the other party is unable to pay its debts, enters into liquidation, has a receiver appointed or ceases to carry on its business.  Additionally, Lonza may terminate the license agreement if we knowingly, directly or indirectly, oppose, dispute or assist any third party to oppose or dispute the patents or patent applications, or the validity of such, with respect to any of the licensed patent rights.  In addition to the license agreement, on June 27, 2011, we and Lonza entered into an agreement for the manufacture of Bertilimumab for use in certain our Phase II clinical studies.  See “Manufacturing” below.

 

Dalhousie University

 

In July 2007, we entered into a direct license agreement with Dalhousie University, or Dalhousie, under which we were granted an exclusive license to certain patents for the topical use of tricyclic anti-depressants and NMDA antagonists as topical analgesics for neuralgia. These and other patents cover the combination treatment consisting of amitriptyline and ketamine in AmiKet. This technology has been incorporated into AmiKet.

 

We have been granted worldwide rights to make, use, develop, sell and market products utilizing the licensed technology in connection with passive dermal applications. The Company is obligated to make payments to Dalhousie upon achievement of specified milestones and to pay royalties based on annual net sales derived from the products incorporating the licensed technology. The Company is further obligated to pay Dalhousie an annual maintenance fee until the license agreement expires or is terminated, or a New Drug Application for AmiKet is filed with the FDA, or Dalhousie will have the option to terminate the contract. The license agreement with Dalhousie terminates upon the expiration of the last to expire licensed patent. On April 3, 2014, the Company entered into a Waiver and Amendment to the license agreement pursuant to which Dalhousie agreed to irrevocably waive our obligation to pay the $500 maintenance fee that was due on August 27, 2012 and August 27, 2013 and in any subsequent year. In addition, we have agreed to pay Dalhousie royalties of five percent (5%) of net sales of licensed technology in countries in which patent coverage is available and three percent (3%) of net sales in countries in which data protection is available. The parties have also agreed to amend the timing and increase the amounts of the milestone payments payable under the license agreement. As of December 31, 2014, no amounts were due to Dalhousie.  Additional milestones payments will become due upon sub licensing and receipt of certain regulatory approvals, none of which was yet met. 

 

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Shire Biochem

 

In connection with the Merger, we acquired a license agreement for the rights to the MX2105 series of apoptosis inducer anti-cancer compounds from Shire Biochem, Inc. (formerly known as BioChem Pharma, Inc.). We are required to provide Shire Biochem a portion of any sublicensing payments we receive if we relicense the series of compounds or make milestone payments to Shire BioChem totaling up to $26,000, assuming the successful commercialization of the compounds by us for the treatment of a cancer indication, as well as pay a royalty on product sales.

  

Endo Pharmaceuticals

 

In December 2003, and prior to the consummation of the Merger, EpiCept entered into a license agreement with Endo Pharmaceuticals under, which EpiCept granted Endo (and its affiliates) the exclusive (including as to EpiCept and its affiliates) worldwide right to commercialize LidoPAIN BP. EpiCept also granted Endo worldwide rights to use certain of EpiCept’s patents for the development of certain other non-sterile, topical lidocaine patches, including Lidoderm, Endo’s non-sterile topical lidocaine-containing patch for the treatment of chronic lower back pain. The Company assumed the license agreement at the time of the Merger. Upon the execution of the Endo agreement, EpiCept received a non-refundable payment of $7,500.

 

Under this license agreement we may also receive payments of up to $52,500 upon the achievement of various milestones relating to product development, regulatory approval and commercial success for both our LidoPAIN BP product and Endo’s own back pain product, so long as, in the case of Endo’s product candidate, our patents provide protection thereof. We will also receive royalties from Endo based on the net sales of LidoPAIN BP. These royalties are payable until generic equivalents to the LidoPAIN BP product are available or until expiration of the patents covering LidoPAIN BP, whichever is sooner. We are also eligible to receive milestone payments from Endo of up to approximately $30,000 upon the achievement of specified regulatory and net sales milestones of Lidoderm, Endo’s chronic lower back pain product candidate, so long as our patents provide protection thereof. The future amount of milestone payments we are eligible to receive under the Endo agreement is $83. There is no certainty that any of these milestones will be achieved or any royalty will be earned.

 

The license terminates upon the later of the conclusion of the royalty term, on a country-by-country basis, and the expiration of the last applicable EpiCept patent covering licensed Endo product candidates on a country-by-country basis. Either Endo or EpiCept may terminate the agreement upon an uncured material breach by the other or, subject to the relevant bankruptcy laws, upon a bankruptcy event of the other.

 

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Intellectual Property

 

Patents

 

We own or license rights with respect to patents and patent applications relating to Bertilimumab and AMB8LK product candidates and the NanomAbs and Human Antibody Technology platforms, which are necessary to conduct our business.  Patents related to such product candidates and technology platforms may provide future competitive advantages by providing exclusivity related to the composition of matter, formulation, and methods of use of the applicable product candidate or technology platform. The patent positions for our product candidates and platforms are described below and include 18 granted United States and foreign patents and 23 pending United States and foreign patent applications that we own or license. Our patent positions are as follows: 

 

· A license to a patent family that covers a composition of matter of Bertilimumab and a method of using Bertilimumab to screen for an antibody or antibody fragment that binds Eotaxin-1, including: four registered patents in the United States and five registered patents in Europe (Switzerland, Germany, France, Great Britain and Ireland), Brazil, Canada, Israel, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore, and one pending patent applications in the United States.  The foreign patents and patents issued with respect to pending patent applications in this family will expire, without extension, in March 2021. The United States patents, which benefit from patent term adjustment from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or the USPTO, will expire between April 2021 and August 2022.
· All right, title and interest in and to a pending Patent Cooperation Treaty international application that is expected to enter into the National/Regional phase in September 2015 that covers a method for treating an IBD with an anti-human Eotaxin antibody, including Bertilimumab.  Any patents issued with respect to the pending patent application will expire, without extension, in March 2033.
· All right, title and interest in and to United States and Canadian patents that cover a combined AMB8LK-drug composition of matter and/or methods of use of AMB8LK for in vivo targeting of a molecule to certain tumors and for localizing a tumor in a subject.  The Canadian patent issued with respect to the pending patent applications in this family will expire, without extension, in January 2021.  The United States patent, which benefits from patent term adjustment from the USPTO, will expire in January 2022.
· All right, title and interest in and to an issued U.S. patent and pending patent applications in Canada, Europe, and the United States claiming a chimeric anti-ferritin monoclonal antibody and related methods of use for delivering drugs and treating cancer. The issued U.S. patent will expire in July 2030. Any patents issued with respect to these pending patent applications will expire, without extension, in September 2027.
· A license to a patent family with respect to the NanomAbs technology platform claiming a polylactic glycolic acid nanoparticle associated with a hydrophilic therapeutic agent being conjugated to or associated with the surface of such nanoparticle and/or a lipophilic therapeutic agent contained within such nanoparticle for use in the field of cancer. Patent applications for this family are pending in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Israel, India, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Any patents issued with respect to this pending patent application will expire, without extension, in January 2032.
· All right, title and interest in and to United States and European patent applications related to the Human Antibody Production Technology Platform. Any patents with respect to the pending patent applications will expire, without extension, in May 2033.
· All right, title and interest in and to several families of patents related to the AmiKet product , including four issued U.S. patents, as well as issued patents in Israel, Canada, China, Israel, Hong Kong, Mexico, and New Zealand. Patent applications for this family are pending in the U.S. as well as in Chile, Japan, Mexico and Venezuela. These issued patents and any patents issued with respect to this pending patent application will expire, without extension, between 2017 and 2023. These patents and patent application have claims directed to topical uses of tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, and NMDA antagonists, such as ketamine, as treatments for relieving pain, including neuropathic pain. License topical nanoparticle from Yissum patent No P-75790 filed in 2012.
· All right, title and interest in and to United States and Canadian patents and U.S., China, and European patent applications related to the Crolibulin product. The intellectual property protection regarding this compound is covered by one issued U.S. patent, expiring in November 2029 and an issued Canadian patent expiring in September 2027 two pending patent applications covering the composition and uses of this compound and structurally related analogs. Additional foreign patent applications are pending in major pharmaceutical markets outside the U.S.

 

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We may seek to protect our proprietary information by requiring our employees, consultants, contractors, outside partners and other advisers to execute, as appropriate, nondisclosure and assignment of invention agreements upon commencement of their employment or engagement. We also require confidentiality or material transfer agreements from third parties that receive our confidential data or materials.

 

We believe that our owned and licensed patents and pending patent applications provide coverage for our product candidates and technology platforms and we intend to aggressively enforce our intellectual property rights if necessary to preserve such rights and to gain the benefit of our investment.  The patent positions of companies like us are generally uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions.  Our ability to maintain and solidify our proprietary position for our product candidates and technology platforms will depend on our success in obtaining effective claims and enforcing those claims once granted.  We do not know whether any of our patent applications or those patent applications that we license will result in the issuance of any patents.  Our issued patents and those that may issue in the future, or those licensed to us, may be challenged, narrowed, circumvented or found to be invalid or unenforceable, which could limit our ability to stop competitors from marketing related products or the length of term of patent protection that we may have for our products. Neither we nor our licensors can be certain that they were the first to invent the inventions claimed in our owned or licensed patents or patent applications. In addition, our competitors may independently develop similar technologies or duplicate any technology developed by us, and the rights granted under any issued patents may not provide us with any meaningful competitive advantages against these competitors. Furthermore, because of the extensive time required for development, testing and regulatory review of a potential product, it is possible that, before any of our products can be commercialized, any related patent may expire or remain in force for only a short period following commercialization, thereby reducing any advantage of the patent.

 

Our commercial success will depend in part on obtaining and maintaining patent protection and trade secret protection of our technologies and product candidates as well as successfully defending these patents against third-party challenges. We have various compositions of matter and use patents, which have claims directed to our product candidates or their methods of use. Our patent policy is to pursue, maintain, defend, retain and secure patents and patent rights, whether developed internally or licensed from third parties, for the technology, inventions and improvements related to our core portfolio of product candidates and that are or may be commercially important to the development of our business. We also rely on trade secrets, technical know-how and continuing innovation to develop and maintain our competitive position.

 

The pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other life sciences industries are characterized by the existence of a large number of patents and frequent litigation based upon allegations of patent infringement. While our product candidates are in clinical trials, and prior to commercialization, we believe our current activities fall within the scope of the exemptions provided by 35 U.S.C. Section 271(e) in the U.S. and Section 55.2(1) of the Canadian Patent Act, each of which covers activities related to developing information for submission to the FDA and its counterpart agency in Canada. As our product candidates progress toward commercialization, the possibility of an infringement claim against us increases. While we attempt to ensure that our product candidates and the methods we employ to manufacture them do not infringe other parties’ patents and other proprietary rights, competitors or other parties may assert that we infringe on their proprietary rights.

 

Trade Secrets

 

In addition to patents, we rely on trade secrets and know-how to develop and maintain our competitive position. Trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect. We seek to protect our proprietary processes, in part, by confidentiality agreements and invention assignment agreements with our employees, consultants, scientific advisors, contractors and commercial partners. These agreements are designed to protect our proprietary information. We also seek to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of our data, trade secrets and know-how by maintaining physical security of our premises and physical and electronic security of our information technology systems. While we have confidence in these individuals, organizations and systems, such agreements or security measures may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors or others.

 

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Manufacturing

 

We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities for the production of Bertilimumab or NanomAbs, nor do we plan to develop our own manufacturing operations in the foreseeable future. We currently depend on third party contract manufacturers for all of our required raw materials and finished products for our preclinical and clinical trials. We believe that the raw materials that we require to manufacture our product candidates are readily available commodities commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry. On June 27, 2011, Immune signed a manufacturing agreement with Lonza, which relates to the Phase II production of Bertilimumab using Lonza’s proprietary cell line technology. Under the agreement, Lonza will produce Phase II clinical trial material at its mammalian development and manufacturing facility and prepare documentation required for submission to the FDA, including the applicable clinical trial application.  To date, two clinical batches have been produced and delivered by Lonza under this agreement. On May 2, 2012, we entered into a license agreement with Lonza with respect to, among other uses, the production, sale and distribution of Bertilimumab as manufactured using Lonza’s system of cell lines, vectors and know-how.  See “—License Agreements—Lonza Sales AG” above.

 

In 2014, we entered into an agreement with Probiogen AG to develop a new cell line with improved characteristics including higher productivity and a new manufacturing process for Bertilimumab. The agreement is based on fee for service and does not include any licensing fees. We may elect to manufacture Bertilimumab with Probiogen or transfer to another contract manufacturing organization.

 

In addition, Immune has identified contract manufacturers with current good manufacturing practice standards (“cGMP”) for the manufacture of NanomAbs to support its needs for the preclinical development and clinical trials of NanomAbs. If Immune’s current third-party manufacturer should become unavailable for any reason, Immune believes that there are several potential replacements, although it might incur some delay in identifying and qualifying such replacements, if it is able to replace the current manufacturer at all. Immune expects that the product candidates that it develops will be capable of being produced cost-effectively at third-party manufacturing facilities.

 

Manufacturers of Immune’s products are required to comply with applicable FDA manufacturing requirements contained in the FDA’s cGMP regulations. cGMP regulations require, among other things, quality control and quality assurance, as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation. Pharmaceutical product manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved pharmaceutical products are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies, and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with cGMP and other laws. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to spend time, money, and effort in the area of production and quality control in order to maintain cGMP regulatory compliance. Discovery of problems with a product after approval may result in restrictions on a product, manufacturer, or holder of an approved New Drug Application/Biologics License Application, including withdrawal of the product from the market. In addition, changes to the manufacturing process generally require prior FDA approval before being implemented and other types of changes to the approved product.

 

There can be no assurance that our product candidates, if approved, can be manufactured in sufficient commercial quantities, in compliance with regulatory requirements and at an acceptable cost. Our contract manufacturers and we are, and will be, subject to extensive governmental regulation in connection with the manufacture of any pharmaceutical products or medical devices. We and our contract manufacturers must ensure that all of the processes, methods and equipment are compliant with cGMP for drugs on an ongoing basis, as mandated by the FDA and other regulatory authorities, and conduct extensive audits of vendors, contract laboratories and suppliers.

 

Contract Research Organizations

 

We outsource certain clinical trial activities, including the administration of treatments, to clinical research organizations, or CROs. Our clinical CROs comply with guidelines from the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, which attempt to harmonize the FDA and the EMA, regulations and guidelines. We create and implement the drug development plans and manage the CROs according to the specific requirements of the drug candidate under development. To the extent clinical research is conducted by the CROs (or us in the future), compliance with certain federal regulations, including but not limited to 21 C.F.R. parts 50, 54, 56, 58 and 318, which pertain to, among other things, institutional review boards, informed consent, financial conflicts of interest by investigators, good laboratory practices and submitting IND applications, may be required.

 

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Marketing, Sales and Commercialization

 

Given our stage of development, we do not have any internal sales, marketing or distribution infrastructure or capabilities. In the event we receive regulatory approval for our product, we intend, where appropriate, to pursue commercialization relationships, including strategic alliances and licensing, with pharmaceutical companies and other strategic partners, which are equipped to market and/or sell our products, if any, through their well-developed sales, marketing and distribution organizations in order to gain access to global markets. In addition, we may out-license some or all of our worldwide patent rights to more than one party to achieve the fullest development, marketing and distribution of any products we develop. Over the longer term, we may consider ultimately building an internal marketing, sales and commercial infrastructure.

 

Environmental Matters

 

We, our agents and our service providers, including our manufacturers, may be subject to various environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing air emissions, water and wastewater discharges, noise emissions, the use, management and disposal of hazardous, radioactive and biological materials and wastes and the cleanup of contaminated sites. We believe that our business, operations and facilities, including, to our knowledge, those of our agents and service providers, are being operated in compliance in all material respects with applicable environmental and health and safety laws and regulations. All information with respect to any chemical substance is filed and stored as a Material Safety Data Sheet, as required by applicable environmental regulations. Based on information currently available to us, we do not expect environmental costs and contingencies to have a material adverse effect on us. However, significant expenditures could be required in the future if we, our agents or our service providers are required to comply with new or more stringent environmental or health and safety laws, regulations or requirements.

 

United States Government Regulation

 

NDA Approval Processes

 

In the United States, the FDA regulates drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or the FDCA, and implementing regulations. Failure to comply with the applicable U.S. requirements at any time during the product development process or approval process, or after approval, may subject an applicant to administrative or judicial sanctions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us. These sanctions could include refusal to approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval, imposition of a clinical hold, warning letters, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, or injunctions, fines, disgorgement, and civil or criminal penalties.

 

The process required by the FDA before a drug may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:

 

  completion of nonclinical laboratory tests, animal studies and formulation studies conducted according to Good Laboratory Practices, or GLPs, or other applicable regulations;
  submission to the FDA of an IND, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin;
  performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials according to Good Clinical Practices, or GCPs, to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed drug for its intended use;
  submission to the FDA of an NDA;
  satisfactory completion of an FDA inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities at which the product is produced to assess compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMPs, to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the drug’s identity, strength, quality and purity;
  satisfactory completion of FDA inspections of clinical sites and GLP toxicology studies; and
  FDA review and approval of the NDA.

 

The testing and approval process requires substantial time, effort and financial resources, and we cannot be certain that any approvals for our product candidates will be granted on a timely basis, if at all.

 

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Once a product candidate is identified for development, it enters the preclinical or nonclinical testing stage. Preclinical tests include laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, toxicity and formulation, as well as animal studies. An IND sponsor must submit the results of the preclinical tests, together with manufacturing information and analytical data, to the FDA as part of the IND. Some preclinical testing may continue after the IND is submitted. In addition to including the results of the nonclinical studies, the IND will also include a clinical trial protocol detailing, among other things, the objectives of the clinical trial, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated if the first phase lends itself to an efficacy determination. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA, within the 30 day time period, places the IND on clinical hold. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before clinical trials can begin. A clinical hold may occur at any time during the life of an IND, due to safety concerns or non-compliance, and may affect one or more specific studies or all studies conducted under the IND.

 

All clinical trials must be conducted under the supervision of one or more qualified investigators in accordance with GCPs. These regulations include the requirement that all research subjects provide informed consent. Further, an IRB must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial before it commences at any institution. An IRB considers, among other things, whether the risks to individuals participating in the trials are minimized and are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits. The IRB also approves the information regarding the trial and the consent form that must be provided to each trial subject or his or her legal representative and must monitor the study until completed. All clinical trials must be conducted under protocols detailing the objectives of the trial, dosing procedures, research subject inclusion and exclusion criteria and the safety and effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. Each protocol must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND, and progress reports detailing the status of the clinical trials must be submitted to the FDA annually. Sponsors must also report within set timeframes to FDA serious and unexpected adverse reactions, any clinically important increase in the rate of a serious suspected adverse reaction over that listed in the protocol or investigation brochure, or any findings from other studies or animal or in vitro testing that suggest a significant risk in humans exposed to the drug.

 

Human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:

 

  Phase I . The drug is initially introduced into healthy human subjects and tested for safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution and elimination. In the case of some products for severe or life-threatening diseases, such as cancer, especially when the product may be inherently too toxic to ethically administer to healthy volunteers, the initial human testing is often conducted in patients.
  Phase II . Clinical trials are performed on a limited patient population intended to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases and to determine dosage tolerance and optimal dosage.
  Phase III . Clinical trials are undertaken to further evaluate dosage, clinical efficacy and safety in an expanded patient population at geographically dispersed clinical study sites. Phase III clinical trials are conducted to provide sufficient data for the statistically valid evidence of safety and efficacy.

 

Human clinical trials are inherently uncertain and Phase I, Phase II and Phase III testing may not be successfully completed. The FDA or the sponsor may suspend a clinical trial at any time for a variety of reasons, including a finding that the research subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the drug has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients.

 

During the development of a new drug, sponsors are given opportunities to meet with the FDA at certain points. These points may be prior to the submission of an IND, at the end of Phase II and before an NDA is submitted. Meetings at other times may be requested. These meetings can provide an opportunity for the sponsor to share information about the data gathered to date and for the FDA to provide advice on the next phase of development. Sponsors typically use the meeting at the end of Phase II to discuss their Phase II clinical results and present their plans for the pivotal Phase III clinical trial that they believe will support the approval of the NDA. If a Phase II clinical trial is the subject of discussion at the end of Phase II meeting with the FDA, a sponsor may be able to request a Special Protocol Assessment, or SPA, the purpose of which is to reach agreement with the FDA on the Phase III clinical trial protocol design and analysis that will form the primary basis of an efficacy claim.

 

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According to published guidance on the SPA process, a sponsor, which meets the prerequisites, may make a specific request for an SPA and provide information regarding the design and size of the proposed clinical trial. The FDA is supposed to evaluate the protocol within 45 days of the request to assess whether the proposed trial is adequate, and that evaluation may result in discussions and a request for additional information. An SPA request must be made before the proposed trial begins, and all open issues must be resolved before the trial begins. If a written agreement is reached, it will be documented and made part of the record. The agreement will be binding on the FDA and may not be changed by the sponsor or the FDA after the trial begins except with the written agreement of the sponsor and the FDA or if the FDA determines that a substantial scientific issue essential to determining the safety or efficacy of the drug was identified after the testing began. There is no indication that we will be able to meet the requirements necessary for an SPA.

 

Concurrent with clinical trials, sponsors usually complete any remaining animal safety studies and also develop additional information about the chemistry and physical characteristics of the drug and finalize a process for manufacturing commercial quantities of the product in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the drug and the manufacturer must develop methods for testing the quality, purity and potency of the drug. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the drug candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its proposed shelf-life.

 

The results of product development, preclinical studies and clinical trials, along with descriptions of the manufacturing process, analytical tests and other control mechanisms, proposed labeling and other relevant information are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA requesting approval to market the product. The submission of an NDA is subject to the payment of user fees, but a waiver of such fees may be obtained under specified circumstances. We will seek a waiver of these fees as a small company submitting its first marketing application. If the waiver is granted it would not extend to establishment or product fees. The FDA reviews all NDAs submitted to ensure that they are sufficiently complete for substantive review before it accepts them for filing. It may request additional information rather than accept an NDA for filing. In this event, the NDA must be resubmitted with the additional information. The resubmitted application also is subject to review before the FDA accepts it for filing.

 

In addition, under the Pediatric Research Equity Act, or PREA, an NDA or supplement to an NDA must contain data to assess the safety and effectiveness of the drug for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the drug is safe and effective. The FDA may grant deferrals for submission of data or full or partial waivers. Submission of a pediatric assessment is not required for an application to market a product for an orphan-designated indication, and waivers are not needed at this time. However, if only one indication for a product has orphan designation, a pediatric assessment may still be required for any applications to market that same product for the non-orphan indication(s).

 

Once the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth review. NDAs receive either standard or priority review. A drug representing a significant improvement in treatment, prevention or diagnosis of disease may receive priority review. The FDA may refuse to approve an NDA if the applicable regulatory criteria are not satisfied or may require additional clinical or other data. Even if such data are submitted, the FDA may ultimately decide that the NDA does not satisfy the criteria for approval. The FDA reviews an NDA to determine, among other things, whether a product is safe and effective for its intended use and whether its manufacturing is cGMP-compliant. The FDA may refer the NDA to an advisory committee for review and recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendation of an advisory committee, but it generally follows such recommendations. Before approving an NDA, the FDA will inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured and tested. The FDA will also inspect selected clinical sites that participated in the clinical studies and may inspect the testing facilities that performed the GLP toxicology studies cited in the NDA.

 

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Expedited Review and Approval

 

NDAs receive either standard or priority review. A drug representing a significant improvement in treatment, prevention or diagnosis of disease may receive priority review. The FDA has various specific programs, including Fast Track, Breakthrough Therapy, Accelerated Approval and Priority Review, which are each intended to expedite the process for reviewing drugs, and in certain cases involving Accelerated Review, permit approval of a drug on the basis of a surrogate endpoint. Even if a drug qualifies for one or more of these programs, the FDA may later decide that the drug no longer meets the conditions for qualification or that the time period for FDA review or approval will be shortened. Generally, drugs that are eligible for these programs are those for serious or life-threatening conditions, those with the potential to address unmet medical needs and those that offer meaningful benefits over existing treatments. For example, Fast Track is a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions and fill unmet medical needs, and Breakthrough Therapy designation is designed to expedite the development and review of drugs that are intended to treat a serious condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over available therapy on a clinically significant endpoint(s). Priority review is designed to give drugs that offer major advances in treatment or provide a treatment where no adequate therapy exists an initial review within six months as compared to a standard review time of ten months. Although Fast Track, Breakthrough Therapy designation and Priority Review do not affect the standards for approval, the FDA will attempt to facilitate early and frequent meetings with a sponsor of a Fast Track or Breakthrough Therapy designated drug and expedite review of the application for a drug designated for Priority Review. The FDA will also provide Breakthrough Therapy designated drugs intensive guidance on an efficient drug development program and provide these drug developers with an organizational commitment from the FDA involving senior managers. Since sponsors can design clinical trials in a number of ways, in providing its guidance for drugs designated as breakthrough therapies, the FDA will seek to ensure that the sponsor of the product designated as a breakthrough therapy receives timely advice and interactive communications in order to help the sponsor design and conduct a development program as efficiently as possible. During these interactions, the FDA may suggest, or a sponsor can propose, alternative clinical trial designs (e.g., adaptive designs, an enrichment strategy, use of historical controls) that may result in smaller trials or more efficient trials that require less time to complete. Such trial designs could also help minimize the number of patients exposed to a potentially less efficacious treatment (i.e., the control group treated with available therapy). Accelerated Approval, which is described in 21 C.F.R. § 314.500 et seq ., provides for an earlier approval for a new drug that is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and that fills an unmet medical need based on a surrogate endpoint. A surrogate endpoint is a laboratory measurement or physical sign used as an indirect or substitute measurement representing a clinically meaningful outcome. As a condition of approval, the FDA may require that a sponsor of a drug receiving accelerated approval perform adequate and well-controlled post-marketing clinical trials. Priority Review and Accelerated Approval do not change the standards for approval, but may expedite the approval process.

 

If a product receives regulatory approval, the approval may be significantly limited to specific diseases, subpopulations, and dosages or the indications for use may otherwise be limited, which could restrict the commercial value of the product. In addition, the FDA may require us to conduct Phase IV testing, which involves clinical trials designed to further assess a drug’s safety and effectiveness after NDA approval, and may require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the safety of approved products which have been commercialized.

 

Patent Term Restoration and Marketing Exclusivity

 

Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of FDA approval of the use of our product candidates, U.S. patents may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Hatch-Waxman Act. The Hatch-Waxman Act permits a patent restoration term of up to five years as compensation for patent term lost during product development and the FDA regulatory review process. However, patent term restoration cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the product’s approval date. The patent term restoration period is generally one-half the time between the effective date of an IND, and the submission date of an NDA, plus the time between the submission date of an NDA and the approval of that application. Only one patent applicable to an approved drug is eligible for the extension and the application for extension must be made prior to expiration of the patent. The USPTO, in consultation with the FDA, reviews and approves the application for any patent term extension or restoration. In the future, we intend to apply for restorations of patent term for some of our currently owned patents to add patent life beyond their current expiration date, depending on the expected length of clinical trials and other factors involved in the submission of the relevant NDA.

 

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Market exclusivity provisions under the FDCA also can delay the submission or the approval of certain applications. The FDCA provides a five year period of non-patent marketing exclusivity within the United States to the first applicant to gain approval of an NDA for a new chemical entity. A drug is a new chemical entity if the FDA has not previously approved any other new drug containing the same active moiety, which is the molecule or ion responsible for the action of the drug substance. During the exclusivity period, the FDA may not accept for review an abbreviated new drug application, or ANDA, or a 505(b)(2) NDA submitted by another company for another version of such drug where the applicant does not own or have a legal right of reference to all the data required for approval. However, an application may be submitted after four years if it contains a certification of patent invalidity or non-infringement. The FDCA also provides three years of marketing exclusivity for an NDA, 505(b)(2) NDA or supplement to an approved NDA if new clinical investigations, other than bioavailability studies, that were conducted or sponsored by the applicant are deemed by the FDA to be essential to the approval of the application, for example, for new indications, dosages or strengths of an existing drug. This three year exclusivity covers only the conditions associated with the new clinical investigations and does not prohibit the FDA from approving ANDAs for drugs containing the original active agent. Five year and three year exclusivity will not delay the submission or approval of a full NDA; however, an applicant submitting a full NDA would be required to conduct or obtain a right of reference to all of the preclinical studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials necessary to demonstrate safety and effectiveness.

 

Post-approval Requirements

 

Once an approval is granted, the FDA, European authorities and other regulatory authorities may withdraw the approval if compliance with regulatory requirements is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product may result in restrictions on the product or even complete withdrawal of the product from the market. After approval, some types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications, manufacturing changes and additional labeling claims, are subject to further regulatory authority review and approval. Some of these modifications, especially adding indications, would likely require additional clinical studies. In addition, the FDA may require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the effect of approved products that have been commercialized, and the FDA has the power to prevent or limit further marketing of a product based on the results of these post-marketing programs.

 

Any drug product manufactured or distributed by us pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things record-keeping requirements; reporting of adverse experiences with the drug; providing the FDA with updated safety and efficacy information; drug sampling and distribution requirements; notifying the FDA and gaining its approval of specified manufacturing or labeling changes; and complying with FDA promotion and advertising requirements.

 

Drug manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved drugs are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies, and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and some state agencies for compliance with cGMP and other laws.

 

We expect to rely on third parties for the production of clinical and commercial quantities of our products. Future FDA and state inspections may identify compliance issues at the facilities of our contract manufacturers that may disrupt production or distribution, or require substantial resources to correct.

 

From time to time, legislation is drafted, introduced and passed in Congress that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing the approval, manufacturing and marketing of products regulated by the FDA. In addition, FDA regulations and guidance are often revised or reinterpreted by the agency in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products. It is impossible to predict whether legislative changes will be enacted, or FDA regulations, guidance or interpretations changed or what the impact of such changes, if any, may be.

 

Foreign Regulation

 

Whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a product, we must obtain approval of a product by the comparable regulatory authorities of foreign countries before we can commence clinical trials or marketing of the product in those countries. The approval process varies from country to country, and the time may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval. The requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement also vary greatly from country to country. Although governed by the applicable country, clinical trials conducted outside of the U.S. typically are administered with the three-phase sequential process that is discussed above under “Government Regulation—U.S.” However, the foreign equivalent of an IND is not a prerequisite to performing pilot studies or Phase I clinical trials.

 

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Under European Union regulatory systems, we may submit marketing authorization applications either under a centralized or decentralized procedure. The centralized procedure, which is required for oncology products and is available for medicines produced by biotechnology or which are highly innovative, provides for the grant of a single marketing authorization that is valid for all member states. This authorization is a marketing authorization application, or MAA. The decentralized procedure provides for mutual recognition of national approval decisions. Under this procedure, the holder of a national marketing authorization may submit an application to the remaining member states. Within 90 days of receiving the applications and assessment report, each member state must decide whether to recognize approval. This procedure is referred to as the mutual recognition procedure.

 

In addition, regulatory approval of prices is required in most countries other than the U.S. We face the risk that the resulting prices would be insufficient to generate an acceptable return to us or our collaborators.

 

Research and Development

 

Since our inception, we have made substantial investments in research and development. We incurred research and development expenses of $5,640 and $3,571 during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. We will require additional investments in research and development to bring our product candidates to market.

 

Competition

 

We operate in highly competitive segments of the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical markets. We face competition from many different sources, including commercial pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic institutions, government agencies, and private and public research institutions. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial, product development, manufacturing and marketing resources than ours. Large pharmaceutical companies have extensive experience in clinical testing and obtaining regulatory approval for drugs. In addition, many universities and private and public research institutes are active in cancer research, some in direct competition with us. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. Adequate protection of intellectual property, successful product development, adequate funding and retention of skilled, experienced and professional personnel are among the many factors critical to success in the pharmaceutical industry.

 

AmiKet will face significant competition upon commercialization from both generics of current neuropathic pain market leaders and new market entrants. The topical formulation of AmiKet is expected to provide competitive benefits, over oral drugs as well as Endo’s Lidoderm®, a lidocaine transdermal patch which achieved in excess of $1 billion in peak retail sales in 2012. Another competitor may be BioSciences International with a topical formulation of clonidine which may receive marketing approval.

 

We believe that Bertilimumab, if approved for the treatment of UC and/or CD, will directly compete with anti-TNF Mabs Remicade® (infliximab) and Humira® (adalimumab), which are approved for the treatment of various diseases, including UC and CD, and are been used as first option in moderate to severe patients and with other biologics including Mabs that target alpha-4 integrins, such as Takeda’s Entyvio (vedoluzimab) which is awaiting a decision by the FDA. Due to Bertilimumab’s unique and novel mechanism of action, targeting eosinophils as a route cause of the disease, it could be positioned early in the treatment algorithm, ahead of anti-TNFs, and with the distinction of biomarker-based patient selection through an Eotaxin-1 companion diagnostic. In addition, 25-40% of patients fail anti-TNF treatment or develop an intolerable adverse events or loss of response during maintenance therapy. These patients may also be candidates for Bertilimumab treatment. We believe that Bertilimumab will have a better safety profile than anti-TNF antibodies due to the fact that it does not completely block the immune system as does Humira and Remicade, but rather inhibits a specific pathway that plays a key role in the disease.

 

With respect to cancer treatment, the most common methods of treating patients are surgery, radiation and drug therapy, including chemotherapy and targeted drug therapy. In many cases, these drugs are administered in combination to enhance efficacy. In general, although there has been considerable progress over the past few decades in the treatment of solid tumors and the currently marketed therapies provide benefits for many patients, these therapies are limited to some extent in their efficacy and frequency of adverse events, and none of them are successful in treating all patients. As a result, the level of morbidity and mortality in solid tumor cancers remains high.  The table below summarizes the extent of our competition with respect to current drug-therapy technologies:

 

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  Ligand Conjugated
Nanoparticles
  Antibody
DrugConjugates
  Ligand Drugs   Nanoparticles
Companies

BIND

Merrimack

 

SeattleGenetics

Roche

ImmunogeneCelldex

 

Mersana

Endocyte

 

Celgene

Merrimack

Development Status Pre- to early clinical   Late-clinical to marketed   Clinical   Clinical to marketed

 

Our NanomAbs technology may face its most significant competition from Antibody Drug Conjugate (“ADC”).  We believe that our NanomAbs platform, although comparable to ADCs in its ability to deliver highly active drug payloads in a targeted manner, provides a number of potential advantages over ADCs, in that unlike ADCs, NanomAbs have, among other characteristics:

 

  improved targeting as several mAbs are conjugated to a single nanoparticle;
  the ability to hold greater payloads of drugs or drug-combinations for enhanced efficacy;
  improved safety due to specific tumor cell targeting and drug shielding within the nanoparticle;
  variation due to the ability to tailor specific drugs and mAb combinations; and
  potential use in inflammatory indications, as opposed to cancer only.  

 

Furthermore, we believe that our NanomAbs platform is more advantageous than nanoparticles alone since in addition to the passive targeting of nanoparticles to the tumor site solely by absorption through leaky blood vessels, NanomAbs actively target tumor cells through their Mab specific binding to the tumor cell surface. Once NanomAbs accumulate in the tumor tissue, active targeting mediated by the mAb specifically induces NanomAbs internalization into the tumor cells.

 

Lastly, we believe that our NanomAbs have several advantages over other ligand conjugated nanoparticles and ligand drugs, including, but not limited to:

 

  the ability to deliver two chemotherapeutic drugs simultaneously through active targeting;
  the improved stability of nanoparticles compared to liposomes, or nanometric lipid bilayers;
  active targeting through a mAb, as opposed to an aptamer, which is more stable and more commonly used; and
  the controlled release of the drug molecules incorporated within the NanomAb as the polymer scaffold gradually decomposes.

 

Crolibulin’s main direct competitor is Oxigene’s ZYBRESTAT® (fosbretabulin) which is being developed in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute for Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer and for Refractory Ovarian Cancer in combination with Roche-Genentech’s Avastin® (bevacizumab). The topline results announced in March 2014 for the latter indication are promising for the Vascular Disruptive Agent class of drugs, which had previously experienced multiple development failures. In any case, we believe that the nano-formulation of crolibulin may bring additional clinical benefits by optimizing the efficacy/ safety ratio.

 

Employees

 

As of April 10, 2015, our workforce consists of six U.S. and three Israeli employees, all of whom are full-time. Two executives, one in the U.S. and one in Israel, operate under consulting agreements.

 

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Corporate and Available Information

 

Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. (formerly, EpiCept Corporation, or EpiCept) was incorporated in Delaware in March 1993. In November 2012, Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd., incorporated in Israel in July 2010, entered into a definitive merger agreement with Immune, which was completed on August 25, 2013. Our principal executive offices are located at 430 East 29th Street, Suite 940, New York, NY 10016, our telephone number is (646) 440-9310, and our website address is www.immunepharmaceuticals.com. The information contained in, or accessible through, our website does not constitute a part this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports, are available to you free of charge through the “Investors — SEC Filings” section of our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials have been electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our shares of common stock are listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market and NASDAQ OMX, First North Premier, Stockholm under the symbol “IMNP.”

 

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

 

Our operations and financial results are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those described below, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and the trading price of our common stock. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may materially affect our business operations.

 

Risks Relating to our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital

 

We have a limited operating history, expect to continue to incur substantial operating losses and may be unable to obtain additional financing, causing substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

 

Our ability to continue as a “going concern” is dependent on a combination of several of the following factors: our ability to generate revenues and raise capital, the “cash” exercise of warrants by holders and access to an established credit line. We have limited capital resources and our operations, since inception, have been funded by the proceeds of equity and debt financings. As of December 31, 2014, we had $6,767 in cash and cash equivalents. Moreover, we have access to a $5,000 revolving line of credit, which we obtained from a related party in April 2014, which may become available to us during a four-week period following written notice. If the line of credit becomes unavailable for any reason, and we fail to raise additional capital, we may be forced to scale back or eliminate some or all of our research and development programs.

 

We have limited liquidity and, as a result, may not be able to meet our obligations.

 

We have incurred significant losses since our inception. We expect to incur additional losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

 

Since our inception on July 11, 2010 (“Inception”), we have incurred significant losses and expect to continue to operate at a net loss in the foreseeable future. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, we incurred net losses of $23,550 and a total accumulated deficit of $45,829. To date, we have financed our operations primarily through private placements of common stock and preferred stock, public offering, convertible debt securities and borrowings under our secured loan with MidCap Financial. Our revenue to date has consisted of royalties on licensed patents. We have devoted substantially all of our financial resources and efforts to developing Bertilimumab, our Phase II drug for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and NanomAbs, our platform for the targeted delivery of cancer drugs, manufacturing Bertilimumab under cGMPs, conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials. We are still in the early stages of development of our product candidates, and we have not completed development of Bertilimumab, NanomAbs or other drugs. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially as we continue the research and development of our product candidates.

 

To become and remain profitable, we must succeed in developing and eventually commercializing products that generate significant revenue. This will require us to be successful in a range of challenging activities, including completing preclinical testing and clinical trials of our product candidates, discovering additional product candidates, obtaining regulatory approval for these product candidates and manufacturing, marketing and selling any products for which we may obtain regulatory approval, and establishing and managing our collaborations at various stages of each candidate’s development. We are only in the preliminary stages of most of these activities. We may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, may never generate revenues that are significant enough to achieve profitability.

 

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Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with pharmaceutical product development, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of increased expenses or when, or if, we will be able to achieve profitability. If we are required by the FDA or EMA to perform studies in addition to those currently expected, or if there are any delays in completing our clinical trials or the development of any of our product candidates, our expenses could increase and revenue could be further delayed.

 

Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would depress the value of our company and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, maintain our research and development efforts, diversify our product offerings or even continue our operations. A decline in the value of our company could also cause you to lose all or part of your investment.

 

We will require substantial additional funding which may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If we fail to raise the necessary additional capital, we may be unable to complete the development and commercialization of our product candidates, or continue our development programs.

 

 Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since Inception. We will require additional capital for the further development and commercialization of our product candidates, as well as to fund our other operating expenses and capital expenditures.

 

We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of one or more of our product candidates. We may also seek collaborators for one or more of our current or future product candidates at an earlier stage than otherwise would be desirable or on terms that are less favorable than might otherwise be available. Any of these events could significantly harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In order to carry out our business plan and implement our strategy, we anticipate that we will need to obtain additional financing from time to time and may choose to raise additional funds through strategic collaborations, licensing arrangements, public or private equity or debt financing, bank lines of credit, asset sales, government grants, or other arrangements. We cannot be sure that any additional funding, if needed, will be available on terms favorable to us, or at all. Furthermore, any additional equity or equity-related financing may be dilutive to our stockholders, and debt or equity financing, if available, may subject us to restrictive covenants and significant interest costs. If we obtain funding through a strategic collaboration or licensing arrangement, we may be required to relinquish our rights to certain of our product candidates or marketing territories.

 

In addition, certain investors, including institutional investors, may be unwilling to invest in our securities if we are unable to maintain the listing of our common stock on a U.S. national securities exchange. Our inability to raise capital when needed would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations, and could cause our stock price to decline or require that we wind down our operations altogether.

 

The terms of our senior secured credit facility place restrictions on our operating and financial flexibility. If we raise additional capital through this facility, the terms of any new debt could further restrict our ability to operate our business.

 

As of April 13, 2015, the outstanding principal balance of the loan was $2,697. The credit facility contains customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of default applicable to us and our subsidiaries. The affirmative covenants include, among others, covenants requiring us (and us to cause our subsidiaries) to maintain our legal existence and governmental approvals, deliver certain financial reports and maintain insurance coverage. The negative covenants include, among others, restrictions on us and our subsidiaries transferring collateral, incurring additional indebtedness, engaging in mergers or acquisitions, paying dividends or making other distributions, making investments, creating liens, selling assets, and suffering a change in control, in each case subject to certain exceptions. If we default under the facility, the lender may accelerate all of our repayment obligations and take control of our pledged assets, potentially requiring us to renegotiate our agreement on terms less favorable to us or to immediately cease operations. Further, if we are liquidated, the lender’s right to repayment would be senior to the rights of the holders of our common stock to receive any proceeds from the liquidation. The lender could declare a default upon the occurrence of any event that it interprets as a material adverse effect as defined under the credit facility, thereby requiring us to repay the loan immediately or to attempt to reverse the declaration of default through negotiation or litigation. Any declaration by the lender of an event of default could significantly harm our business and prospects and could cause the price of our common stock to decline. If we raise any additional debt financing, the terms of such additional debt could further restrict our operating and financial flexibility.

 

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We may be unable to license our product candidate AmiKet on terms that reflect the current carrying value of the asset, or at all, which would negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We periodically perform an analysis to determine whether an impairment of our assets has occurred. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, $27,500 was allocated to acquired, in-process, research and development related to projects associated with the AmiKet license agreement.

 

Our most recent impairment analysis determined that no change in the carrying value of AmiKet was required. However, there is no assurance that future analysis would not result in the impairment of the fair value attributable to AmiKet. In addition, if the assumptions we used in connection with the merger to value our in-process research and development directly related to the AmiKet license agreement turn out to be incorrect, the carrying value of AmiKet may ultimately be impaired which would negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, if we are unable to license AmiKet or to license AmiKet on terms materially less favorable than the assumptions used to value the asset in the merger, the carrying value of the assets would be impaired, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may be exposed to market risk and interest rate risk that may adversely impact our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

We may be exposed to market risk, i.e. , the risk of loss related to changes in market prices, including foreign exchange rates, of financial instruments that may adversely impact our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

In addition, our investments may be exposed to market risk due to fluctuation in interest rates, which may affect its interest income and the fair market value of investments, if any. We do not anticipate undertaking any additional long-term borrowings. At present, our investments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents. We may invest in investment-grade marketable securities with maturities of up to three years, including commercial paper, money market funds, and government/non-government debt securities. The primary objective of our investment activities is to preserve principal while maximizing the income that we receive from our investments without significantly increasing risk of loss.

 

We are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates which could have a material adverse effect on us.

 

Our foreign currency exposures gives rise to market risk associated with exchange rate movements of the U.S. dollar, our functional and reporting currency, mainly against the New Israeli Shekel, or NIS, and the British pound sterling. A significant portion of our expenses are denominated in U.S. dollars (with certain expenses payable to Lonza, if any, in the British pound sterling and to Israeli personnel, including sub-contractors and consultants, in the NIS). Our U.S. dollar expenses consist principally of payments made to personnel in the United States, including sub-contractors and consultants for preclinical studies, clinical trials and other research and development activities. We anticipate that the bulk of our expenses will continue to be denominated in U.S. dollars, the NIS or the British pound sterling. If the U.S. dollar fluctuates significantly against the NIS or the British pound sterling (to the extent we must make payments to Lonza) it may have a negative impact on our results of operations. In addition, non-U.S. dollar linked balance sheet items may create foreign exchange gains or losses, depending upon the relative dollar values of the non-U.S. currencies at the beginning and end of the reporting period, affecting our net income and earnings per share.

 

To date, we have not engaged in hedging transactions. In the future, we may enter into currency hedging transactions to decrease the risk of financial exposure from fluctuations in the exchange rates of our principal operating currencies. These measures, however, may not adequately protect us from the material adverse effects of such fluctuations. Exchange rate fluctuations resulting in a devaluation of the NIS or the British pound sterling compared with the U.S. dollar could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and share price.

 

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Risks Related to Regulatory Development, Approval and other Legal Compliance

 

If we are not able to obtain, or if there are delays in obtaining, required regulatory approvals, we will not be able to develop and then commercialize our product candidates or will not be able to do so as soon as anticipated, and our ability to generate revenue will be materially impaired.

 

Our product candidates and the activities associated with their development, applications for regulatory approval, and commercialization, including their design, testing, manufacture, safety, efficacy, recordkeeping, labeling, storage, approval, advertising, promotion, sale and distribution, are subject to comprehensive regulation by the FDA and other regulatory agencies in the United States and by the EMA and similar regulatory authorities outside the United States and Europe. Failure to obtain approval of clinical trial applications, CTAs, in EU countries may delay or prevent us from developing our drugs in one or more jurisdictions. Similarly, failure to obtain marketing approval for a product candidate (New Drug Application, or NDA, Biologic License Application, or BLA, or marketing approval, or MAA) will prevent us from commercializing the product candidate. While our executives have experience with the IND, NDA, BLA, CTA and MAA processes, we expect to rely on third parties to assist us in this process. Securing marketing approval requires the submission of extensive preclinical and clinical data and supporting information to regulatory authorities for each therapeutic indication to establish the product candidate’s safety and efficacy. Securing development and later marketing approval also requires the submission of information about the product manufacturing process to, and inspection of manufacturing facilities by, the regulatory authorities. Our product candidates may not be effective, may be only moderately effective or may prove to have undesirable or unintended side effects, toxicities or other characteristics that may preclude our obtaining marketing approval or prevent or limit commercial use. For example, new drugs frequently are indicated only for patient populations that have not responded to an existing therapy or have relapsed. If any of our product candidates with such an indication receives marketing approval, the accompanying label may limit the approved use of our drug in this way, which could limit sales of the product.

 

The process of obtaining marketing approvals, both in the United States and abroad, is expensive and may take many years. If additional clinical trials are required for certain jurisdictions, these trials can vary substantially based upon a variety of factors, including the type, complexity and novelty of the product candidates involved, and may ultimately be unsuccessful. Changes in marketing approval policies during the development period, changes in or the enactment of additional statutes or regulations, or changes in regulatory review process for each submitted product application, may cause delays in the review and approval of an application. Regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the approval process and may reject a marketing application as deficient or may decide that our data is insufficient for approval and require additional preclinical, clinical or other studies. In addition, varying interpretations of the data obtained from preclinical studies and clinical trials could delay, limit or prevent marketing approval of a product candidate. Any marketing approval we ultimately obtain may be limited or subject to restrictions or post-approval commitments that render the approved product not commercially viable.

 

Bertilimumab is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody. Following approval from regulatory authorities and IRBs, we recently qualified sites for the Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of bullous pemphigoid and the placebo controlled, double-blind Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. To date, no patients have been enrolled in either clinical trial, due to a quality control issue. Enrollment of patients in the UC and BP clinical trials is scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2015. We have submitted an orphan drug application for BP to the FDA and are planning to submit an IND in the second quarter of 2015 in order to expand our BP program to the United States. In addition, we began planning for the clinical development in several other indications, including Non-Alcoholic Steato-Hepatitis (NASH) which we expect to initiate in the fourth quarter of 2015.

  

Although we have already met with the FDA regarding the development of Bertilimumab, it is possible that the FDA may change its requirements or require us to conduct additional preclinical studies and/or clinical trials that may delay the development and approval of this drug. Unfavorable data from our clinical trials may restrict the potential development and commercialization of Bertilimumab or lead to the termination of its development.

 

AmiKet has received Fast Track designation from the FDA for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) which allows for guidance, rolling submission of NDA components and a shorter review cycle than with standard applications. However there is no guarantee that the FDA will not change its requirements or that the studies reviewed by FDA will be adequate for marketing approval.

 

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NanomAbs are novel nano-therapeutics. Although the FDA and other regulatory authorities have approved nano-therapeutics in the past, they are monitoring whether nanotechnology-based therapeutics pose any specific health and human safety risks. While they have not issued any regulations to date, it is possible that the FDA and other regulatory authorities could issue regulations or establish policy positions in the future regarding nano-therapeutics that could adversely affect our product candidates.

 

If we experience delays in obtaining approval or if we fail to obtain approval of our product candidates, the commercial prospects for our product candidates may be harmed and our ability to generate revenues will be materially impaired.

 

We and other drug development companies have suffered setbacks in late-stage clinical trials even after achieving promising results in early stage development. Accordingly, the results from completed preclinical studies and early stage clinical trials may not be predictive of results in later stage trials and may not be predictive of the likelihood of regulatory approval.

 

Clinical trial designs that were discussed with regulatory authorities prior to their commencement may subsequently be considered insufficient for approval at the time of application for regulatory approval.

 

We or our partners discuss with and obtain guidance from regulatory authorities on clinical trial protocols. Over the course of conducting clinical trials, circumstances may change, such as standards of safety, efficacy or medical practice, which could affect regulatory authorities’ perception of the adequacy of any of our clinical trial designs or the data we develop from our clinical trials. Changes in circumstances could affect our ability to conduct clinical trials as planned. Even with successful clinical safety and efficacy data, we may be required to conduct additional, expensive trials to obtain regulatory approval. Any failure or significant delay in completing clinical trials for our product candidates, or in receiving regulatory approval for the commercialization of our product candidates, may severely harm our business and delay or prevent us from being able to generate revenue and our stock price will likely decline.

 

If we receive regulatory approval, our marketed products will also be subject to ongoing FDA and/or foreign regulatory agency obligations and continued regulatory review, and if we fail to comply with these regulations, we could lose approvals to market any products, and our business would be seriously harmed.

 

Following initial regulatory approval of any of our product candidates, we will be subject to continuing regulatory review, including review of adverse experiences and clinical results that are reported after our products become commercially available. This would include results from any post-marketing tests or vigilance required as a condition of approval. The manufacturer and manufacturing facilities we use to make any of our product candidates will also be subject to periodic review and inspection by the FDA or foreign regulatory agencies. If a previously unknown problem or problems with a product, manufacturing or laboratory facility used by us is discovered, the FDA or foreign regulatory agency may impose restrictions on that product or on the manufacturing facility, including requiring us to withdraw the product from the market. Any changes to an approved product, including the way it is manufactured or promoted, often require FDA approval before the product, as modified, can be marketed. Our manufacturers and we will be subject to ongoing FDA requirements for submission of safety and other post-market information. If we or our manufacturers fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, a regulatory agency may:

 

· issue warning letters;
· impose civil or criminal penalties;
· suspend or withdraw regulatory approval;
· suspend any ongoing clinical trials;
· refuse to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications;
· impose restrictions on operations;
· close the facilities of manufacturers; or
· seize or detain products or require a product recall.

 

In addition, the policies of the FDA or other applicable regulatory agencies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent or delay regulatory approval of our product candidates. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature, or extent of adverse government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the U.S. or abroad.

 

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Any regulatory approval we receive for our product candidates will be limited to those indications and conditions for which we are able to show clinical safety and efficacy.

 

Any regulatory approval that we may receive for our current or future product candidates will be limited to those diseases and indications for which such product candidates are clinically demonstrated to be safe and effective. For example, in addition to the FDA approval required for new formulations, any new indication to an approved product also requires FDA approval. If we are not able to obtain regulatory approval for a broad range of indications for our product candidates, our ability to effectively market and sell our product candidates may be greatly reduced and may harm our ability to generate revenue.

 

While physicians may choose to prescribe drugs for uses that are not described in the product’s labeling and for uses that differ from those tested in clinical studies and approved by regulatory authorities, our regulatory approvals will be limited to those indications that are specifically submitted to the regulatory agency for review. These “off-label” uses are common across medical specialties and may constitute the best treatment for many patients in varied circumstances. Regulatory authorities in the U.S. generally do not regulate the behavior of physicians in their choice of treatments. Regulatory authorities do, however, restrict communications by pharmaceutical companies on the subject of off-label use. If our promotional activities fail to comply with these regulations or guidelines, we may be subject to warnings from, or enforcement action by, these authorities. In addition, our failure to follow regulatory rules and guidelines relating to promotion and advertising may cause the regulatory agency to delay its approval or refuse to approve a product, the suspension or withdrawal of an approved product from the market, recalls, fines, disgorgement of money, operating restrictions, injunctions or criminal prosecutions, any of which could harm our business.

 

The results of our clinical trials are uncertain, which could substantially delay or prevent us from bringing our product candidates to market.

 

Before we can obtain regulatory approval for a product candidate, we must undertake extensive clinical testing in humans to demonstrate safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of the FDA or other regulatory agencies. Clinical trials are very expensive and difficult to design and implement. The clinical trial process is also time consuming. The commencement and completion of our clinical trials could be delayed or prevented by several factors, including:

 

· delays in obtaining regulatory approvals to commence or continue a study;
· delays in reaching agreement on acceptable clinical trial parameters;
· slower than expected rates of patient recruitment and enrollment;
· inability to demonstrate effectiveness or statistically significant results in our clinical trials;
· unforeseen safety issues;
· uncertain dosing issues;
· inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment; and
· inability or unwillingness of medical investigators to follow our clinical protocols.

 

We cannot assure you that our planned clinical trials will begin or be completed on time or at all, or that they will not need to be restructured prior to completion. Significant delays in clinical testing will impede our ability to commercialize our product candidates and generate revenue from product sales and could materially increase our development costs. Completion of clinical trials may take several years or more, but the length of time generally varies according to the type, complexity, novelty and intended use of a product candidate.

 

The use of FDA-approved therapeutics in AmiKet could require us to conduct additional preclinical studies and clinical trials, which could increase development costs and lengthen the regulatory approval process.

 

AmiKet utilizes proprietary formulations and topical delivery technologies to administer FDA-approved pain management therapeutics. We may still be required to conduct preclinical trials and clinical trials to determine if our product candidates are safe and effective. In addition, we may also be required to conduct additional preclinical trials and Phase I clinical trials to establish the safety of the topical delivery of these therapeutics and the level of absorption of the therapeutics into the bloodstream. The FDA may also require us to conduct clinical trials to establish that our delivery mechanisms are safer or more effective than the existing methods for delivering these therapeutics. As a result, we may be required to conduct complex clinical trials, which could be expensive and time-consuming and lengthen the anticipated regulatory approval process. In addition, the cost of clinical trials may vary significantly over the life of a project as a result of differences in the design of the clinical trials arising during clinical development.

 

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In some instances, we rely on third parties, over which we have little or no control, to conduct clinical trials for our product candidates and their failure to perform their obligations in a timely or competent manner may delay development and commercialization of our product candidates.

 

The nature of clinical trials and our business strategy requires us to rely on clinical research centers and other third parties to assist us with clinical testing and certain research and development activities, such as the agreement we had with Myrexis, Inc. related to the MX90745 series of apoptosis-inducer anti-cancer compounds. As a result, our success is dependent upon the success of these third parties in performing their responsibilities. We cannot directly control the adequacy and timeliness of the resources and expertise applied to these activities by such third parties. If such contractors do not perform their activities in an adequate or timely manner, the development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed. We may enter into agreements, similar to the agreement we had with Myrexis, Inc., from time to time with additional third parties for our other product candidates whereby these third parties undertake significant responsibility for research, clinical trials or other aspects of obtaining FDA approval. As a result, we may face delays if these additional third parties do not conduct clinical studies and trials, or prepare or file regulatory related documents, in a timely or competent fashion. The conduct of the clinical studies by, and the regulatory strategies of, these additional third parties, over which we have limited or no control, may delay or prevent regulatory approval of our product candidates, which would delay or limit our ability to generate revenue from product sales.

 

Our therapeutic product candidates for which we intend to seek approval are primarily biological products and may face competition sooner than expected. This is particularly relevant for our lead product candidate, Bertilimumab.

 

With the enactment of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCIA, as part of the Health Care Reform Law, an abbreviated pathway for the approval of bio-similar and interchangeable biological products was created. The new abbreviated regulatory pathway establishes legal authority for the FDA to review and approve bio-similar biologics, including the possible designation of a bio-similar as “interchangeable.” The FDA defines an interchangeable bio-similar as a product that, in terms of safety or diminished efficacy, presents no greater risk when switching between the bio-similar and its reference product than the risk of using the reference product alone. Under the BPCIA, an application for a bio-similar product cannot be submitted to the FDA until four years, or approved by the FDA until 12 years, after the original brand product identified as the reference product was approved under a BLA. The new law is complex and is only beginning to be interpreted by the FDA. As a result, its ultimate impact, implementation and meaning are subject to uncertainty. While it is uncertain when any such processes may be fully adopted by the FDA, any such processes could have a material adverse effect on the future commercial prospects for our biological products.

 

We believe that if any of our product candidates were to be approved as biological products under a BLA, such approved products should qualify for the 12-year period of exclusivity. However, there is a risk that the United States Congress could amend the BPCIA to significantly shorten this exclusivity period as proposed by President Obama, potentially creating the opportunity for generic competition sooner than anticipated. Moreover, the extent to which a bio-similar, once approved, will be substituted for any one of our reference products in a way that is similar to traditional generic substitution for non-biological products is not yet clear, and will depend on a number of marketplace and regulatory factors that are still developing. In addition, a competitor could decide to forego the bio-similar route and submit a full BLA after completing its own preclinical studies and clinical trials. In such cases, any exclusivity to which we may be eligible under the BPCIA would not prevent the competitor from marketing its product as soon as it is approved.

 

AmiKet s successful partnering and commercialization may be affected by regulations on orphan drug status, patent restoration and data exclusivity.

 

AmiKet primary patents are expiring in 2021 and are essentially limited to the United States. Immune is assuming that a marketing exclusivity of up to five years will be available under the Patent Term Restoration in the United States and under other forms in Europe and Japan to compensate for the extended development time. This marketing exclusivity may not be deemed to be applicable to AmiKet or maybe be reduced to less than five years in one or multiple jurisdiction. AmiKet has been granted orphan drug status for Post Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN) which confers a seven year marketing exclusivity in the United States for that indication. Orphan drug exclusivity may be reduced or eliminated by regulators before AmiKet enjoys all or part of this protection.

 

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We may not be able to obtain orphan drug exclusivity for our product candidates, particularly for Bertilimumab in bullous pemphigoid or for NanomAbs in certain less frequent cancer indications.

 

Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the United States and Europe, may designate drugs for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a product as an orphan drug if it is a drug intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally defined as a patient population of fewer than 200,000 individuals annually in the United States. One of our strategic assumptions is that we can obtain Orphan Drug Designation for Bertilimumab in Bullous Pemphigoid, a disease with a patient population of less than 15,000 individuals in the United States and for certain formulations of NanomAbs in various Cancer Indications.

 

Generally, if a product with an orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first marketing approval for the indication for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to a period of marketing exclusivity, which precludes the EMA or the FDA from approving another marketing application for the same drug for that time period. The applicable period is seven years in the United States and ten years in Europe. The European exclusivity period can be reduced to six years if a drug no longer meets the criteria for orphan drug designation or if the drug is sufficiently profitable so that market exclusivity is no longer justified. Orphan drug exclusivity may be lost if the FDA or EMA determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantity of the drug to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.

 

Even if we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for a product, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the product from competition because different drugs can be approved for the same condition. Even after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA can subsequently approve the same drug for the same condition if the FDA concludes that the later drug is clinically superior in that it is shown to be safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care.

 

Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties

 

Our existing collaborations are important to our business, and future collaborations may also be important to us. If we are unable to maintain any of these collaborations, or if these collaborations are not successful, our business could be adversely affected.

 

We intend to enter into collaborations with other biopharmaceutical companies to develop NanomAbs based on therapeutic payloads and/ or ligands or antibodies from their product pipelines. We also intend to partner AmiKet for Phase III development and commercialization and Bertilimumab after we achieve Phase II Proof of Concept. These collaborations are expected to generate substantial funding for our research programs and may pose a number of risks, including the following:

 

· collaborators have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to these collaborations;
· collaborators may not perform their obligations as expected;
· collaborators may not pursue development and commercialization of any product candidates that achieve regulatory approval or may elect not to continue or renew development or commercialization programs based on clinical trial results, changes in the collaborators’ strategic focus or available funding, or external factors, such as an acquisition, that divert resources or create competing priorities;
· collaborators may delay clinical trials, provide insufficient funding for a clinical trial program, stop a clinical trial or abandon a product candidate, repeat or conduct new clinical trials or require a new formulation of a product candidate for clinical testing;
· collaborators could independently develop, or develop with third parties, products that compete directly or indirectly with our products or product candidates if the collaborators believe that competitive products are more likely to be successfully developed or can be commercialized under terms that are more economically attractive than ours, which may cause collaborators to cease to devote resources to the commercialization of our product candidates;
· a collaborator with marketing and distribution rights to one or more of our product candidates that achieve regulatory approval may not commit sufficient resources to the marketing and distribution of such product or products;

 

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· disagreements with collaborators, including disagreements over proprietary rights, contract interpretation or the preferred course of development, might cause delays or termination of the research, development or commercialization of product candidates, might lead to additional responsibilities for us with respect to product candidates, or might result in litigation or arbitration, any of which would be time-consuming and expensive;
· collaborators may not properly maintain or defend our intellectual property rights or may use our proprietary information in such a way as to invite litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual property or proprietary information or expose us to potential litigation;
· collaborators may infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties, which may expose us to litigation and potential liability;
· collaborations may be terminated for the convenience of the collaborator and, if terminated, we would potentially lose the right to pursue further development or commercialization of the applicable product candidates;
· collaborators may learn about our technology and use this knowledge to compete with us in the future;
· results of collaborators’ preclinical or clinical trials could produce results that harm or impair other products using our technology;
· there may be conflicts between different collaborators that could negatively affect those collaborations and potentially others; and
· the number and type of our collaborations could adversely affect our attractiveness to future collaborators or acquirers.

 

If our collaborations do not result in the successful development and commercialization of our products or if one of our collaborators terminates its agreement with us, we may not receive any future research and development funding or milestone or royalty payments under the collaboration. If we do not receive the funding we expect under these agreements, our continued development of our product candidates could be delayed and we may need additional resources to develop additional product candidates. All of the risks relating to our product development, regulatory approval and commercialization also apply to the activities of our collaborators and there can be no assurance that our collaborations will produce positive results or successful products on a timely basis or at all.

 

Additionally, subject to its contractual obligations to us, if a collaborator of ours is involved in a business combination or otherwise changes its business priorities, the collaborator might deemphasize or terminate the development or commercialization of any product candidate licensed to it by us. If one of our collaborators terminates its agreement with us, we may find it more difficult to attract new collaborators and our perception in the business and financial communities and our stock price could be adversely affected.

 

We may in the future determine to collaborate with additional pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for development and potential commercialization of therapeutic products. We face significant competition in seeking appropriate collaborators. Our ability to reach a definitive agreement for collaboration will depend, among other things, upon our assessment of the collaborator’s resources and expertise, the terms and conditions of the proposed collaboration and the proposed collaborator’s evaluation of a number of factors. If we are unable to reach agreements with suitable collaborators on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all, we may not be able to access therapeutic payloads that would be suitable to development with our platform, have to curtail the development of a product candidate, reduce or delay its development program or one or more of our other development programs, delay its potential commercialization or reduce the scope of any sales or marketing activities, or increase our expenditures and undertake development or commercialization activities at our own expense. If we elect to fund and undertake development or commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional expertise and additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we fail to enter into collaborations and do not have sufficient funds or expertise to undertake the necessary development and commercialization activities, we may not be able to further develop our product candidates or bring them to market or continue to develop our product platform and our business may be materially and adversely affected.

 

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We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties to conduct our clinical trials, and those third parties may not perform satisfactorily, including failing to meet deadlines for the completion of such trials.

 

We currently rely on third-party CROs to conduct our ongoing Phase II clinical trials of Bertilimumab and do not plan to independently conduct clinical trials of our other product candidates. We expect to continue to rely on third parties, such as CROs, clinical data management organizations, medical institutions and clinical investigators, to conduct and manage our clinical trials. These agreements might terminate for a variety of reasons, including a failure to perform by the third parties. If we need to enter into alternative arrangements, that would delay our product development activities.

 

Our reliance on these third parties for research and development activities will reduce our control over these activities but will not relieve us of our responsibilities. For example, we will remain responsible for ensuring that each of our clinical trials is conducted in accordance with the general investigational plan and protocols for the trial. Moreover, the FDA requires us to comply with regulatory standards, commonly referred to as good clinical practices, or GCPs, for conducting, recording and reporting the results of clinical trials to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of trial participants are protected. Other countries’ regulatory agencies also have requirements for clinical trials with which we must comply. We also are required to register ongoing clinical trials and post the results of completed clinical trials on a government-sponsored database, ClinicalTrials.gov, within specified timeframes. Failure to do so can result in fines, adverse publicity and civil and criminal sanctions. Furthermore, these third parties may also have relationships with other entities, some of which may be our competitors. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, meet expected deadlines or conduct our clinical trials in accordance with regulatory requirements or our stated protocols, we will not be able to obtain, or may be delayed in obtaining, marketing approvals for our product candidates and will not be able to, or may be delayed in our efforts to, successfully commercialize our product candidates.

 

We also expect to rely on other third parties to store and distribute drug supplies for our clinical trials. Any performance failure on the part of our distributors could delay clinical development or marketing approval of our product candidates or commercialization of our products, producing additional losses and depriving us of potential product revenue.

 

We contract with third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical and clinical testing and expect to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. This reliance on third parties increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of our product candidates or products or such quantities at an acceptable cost, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts.

 

We do not have any manufacturing facilities that meet the FDA’s current cGMP requirements for the production of any product candidates used in humans. We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical and clinical testing, as well as for commercial manufacture if any of our product candidates receive marketing approval. This reliance on third parties increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of our product candidates on a timely basis or at all or products or such quantities at an acceptable cost or quality, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts.

 

We may be unable to establish any agreements with third-party manufacturers or to do so on acceptable terms. Even if we are able to establish agreements with third-party manufacturers, reliance on third-party manufacturers entails additional risks, including:

 

· failure of third-party manufacturers to comply with regulatory requirements and maintain quality assurance;
· breach of the manufacturing agreement by the third party;
· failure to manufacture our product according to our specifications;
· failure to manufacture our product according to our schedule or at all;
· misappropriation of our proprietary information, including our trade secrets and know-how; and
· termination or nonrenewal of the agreement by the third party at a time that is costly or inconvenient for us.

 

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Third-party manufacturers may not be able to comply with cGMP regulations or similar regulatory requirements outside the United States. Our failure, or the failure of our third-party manufacturers, to comply with applicable regulations could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including clinical holds, fines, injunctions, civil penalties, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of product candidates or products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly and adversely affect supplies of our products.

 

Our product candidates and any products that we may develop may compete with other product candidates and products for access to manufacturing facilities. There are a limited number of manufacturers that operate under cGMP regulations and that might be capable of manufacturing for us.

 

Any performance failure on the part of our existing or future manufacturers could delay clinical development or marketing approval. We do not currently have arrangements in place for redundant supply or a second source for required raw materials used in the manufacture of our product candidates, including our lead antibody Bertilimumab. If our current contract manufacturer, Lonza, cannot perform as agreed, we may be required to replace such manufacturers and we may be unable to replace them on a timely basis or at all. Our contract with Lonza imposes restrictions, including additional payments if we elect to work with another contract manufacturer. Additionally, we have not yet secured cGMP manufacturers for NanomAbs, which may delay regulatory development toward an Initial New Drug authorization and initial of clinical trials.

 

Our current and anticipated future dependence upon others for the manufacture of our product candidates or products may adversely affect our future profit margins and our ability to commercialize any products that receive marketing approval on a timely and competitive basis.

 

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

 

Our ability to protect our intellectual property rights will be critically important to the success of our business, and we may not be able to protect these rights in the United States or abroad.

 

We own or hold licenses to a number of issued patents and U.S. pending patent applications, as well as foreign patents and foreign counterparts. Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain patent protection both in the United States and in other countries for our product candidates, as well as the methods for treating patients in the product indications using these product candidates. Our ability to protect our product candidates from unauthorized or infringing use by third parties depends in substantial part on our ability to obtain and maintain valid and enforceable patents. Due to evolving legal standards relating to the patentability, validity and enforceability of patents covering pharmaceutical inventions and the scope of claims made under these patents, our ability to obtain, maintain and enforce patents is uncertain and involves complex legal and factual questions. Even if our product candidates, as well as methods for treating patients for prescribed indications using these product candidates are covered by valid and enforceable patents and have claims with sufficient scope, disclosure and support in the specification, the patents will provide protection only for a limited amount of time. Accordingly, rights under any issued patents may not provide us with sufficient protection for our product candidates or provide sufficient protection to afford us a commercial advantage against competitive products or processes.

 

In addition, we cannot guarantee that any patents will issue from any pending or future patent applications owned by or licensed to us. Even if patents have issued or will issue, we cannot guarantee that the claims of these patents are or will be valid or enforceable or will provide us with any significant protection against competitive products or otherwise be commercially valuable to us. The laws of some foreign jurisdictions do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as in the United States and many companies have encountered significant difficulties in protecting and defending such rights in foreign jurisdictions. Furthermore, different countries have different procedures for obtaining patents, and patents issued in different countries offer different degrees of protection against use of the patented invention by others. If we encounter such difficulties in protecting or are otherwise precluded from effectively protecting our intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions, our business prospects could be substantially harmed.

 

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The patent positions of biotechnology companies, including our patent position, involve complex legal and factual questions, and, therefore, validity and enforceability cannot be predicted with certainty. Patents may be challenged, deemed unenforceable, invalidated, or circumvented. Our patents can be challenged by our competitors who can argue that our patents are invalid, unenforceable, lack sufficient written description or enablement, or that the claims of the issued patents should be limited or narrowly construed. Patents also will not protect our product candidates if competitors devise ways of making or using these product candidates without legally infringing our patents. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and FDA regulations and policies create a regulatory environment that encourages companies to challenge branded drug patents or to create non-infringing versions of a patented product in order to facilitate the approval of abbreviated new drug applications for generic substitutes. These same types of incentives encourage competitors to submit new drug applications that rely on literature and clinical data not prepared for or by the drug sponsor, providing a less burdensome pathway to approval.

 

The degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations, and may not adequately protect our business, or permit us to maintain our competitive advantage. The following examples are illustrative:

 

· Others may be able to make compounds that are similar to our product candidates but that are not covered by the claims of the patents that we own or have exclusively licensed.
· We or our licensors or strategic partners might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by the issued patent or pending patent application that we own or have exclusively licensed.
· We or our licensors or strategic partners might not have been the first to file patent applications covering certain of our inventions.
· Others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies without infringing our intellectual property rights.
· It is possible that our pending patent applications will not lead to issued patents.
· Issued patents that we own or have exclusively licensed may not provide us with any competitive advantages, or may be held invalid or unenforceable, as a result of legal challenges by our competitors.
· Our competitors might conduct research and development activities in countries where we do not have patent rights and then use the information learned from such activities to develop competitive products for sale in our major commercial markets.
· We may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable.
· The patents of others may have an adverse effect on our business.

 

Should any of these events occur, they could significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.

 

We will be able to protect our proprietary rights from unauthorized use by third parties only to the extent that our technologies, product candidates, and any future products are covered by valid and enforceable patents or are effectively maintained as trade secrets and we have the funds to enforce our rights, if necessary.

 

The expiration of our owned or licensed patents before completing the research and development of our product candidates and receiving all required approvals in order to sell and distribute the products on a commercial scale can adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

In addition, the laws of certain foreign countries do not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States. If we fail to apply for intellectual property protection or if we cannot adequately protect our intellectual property rights in these foreign countries, our competitors may be able to compete more effectively against us, which could adversely affect our competitive position, as well as our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on all of our product candidates throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our products in jurisdictions where we do not have any issued patents and our patent claims or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from so competing.

 

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Litigation regarding patents, patent applications and other proprietary rights may be expensive and time consuming. If we are involved in such litigation, it could cause delays in bringing product candidates to market and harm our ability to operate.

 

Our success will depend in part on our ability to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of third parties. The pharmaceutical industry is characterized by extensive litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights. Other parties may obtain patents in the future and allege that the use of our technologies infringes these patent claims or that we are employing their proprietary technology without authorization.

 

Litigation relating to the ownership and use of intellectual property is expensive, and our position as a relatively small company in an industry dominated by very large companies may cause us to be at a significant disadvantage in defending our intellectual property rights and in defending against claims that our technology infringes or misappropriates third party intellectual property rights. However, we may seek to use various post- grant administrative proceedings, including new procedures created under the America Invents Act, to invalidate potentially overly-broad third party rights. Even if we are able to defend our position, the cost of doing so may adversely affect our ability to grow, generate revenue or become profitable. Although we have not yet experienced patent litigation, we may in the future be subject to such litigation and may not be able to protect our intellectual property at a reasonable cost, or at all, if such litigation is initiated. The outcome of litigation is always uncertain, and in some cases could include judgments against us that require us to pay damages, enjoin us from certain activities or otherwise affect our legal or contractual rights, which could have a significant adverse effect on our business.

 

In addition, third parties may challenge or infringe upon our existing or future patents. Proceedings involving our patents or patent applications or those of others could result in adverse decisions regarding:

 

· the patentability of our inventions relating to our product candidates; and/or
· the enforceability, validity or scope of protection offered by our patents relating to our product candidates.

 

Even if we are successful in these proceedings, we may incur substantial costs and divert management time and attention in pursuing these proceedings, which could have a material adverse effect on us. If we are unable to avoid infringing the patent rights of others, we may be required to seek a license, defend an infringement action or challenge the validity of the patents in court. Patent litigation is costly and time consuming. We may not have sufficient resources to bring these actions to a successful conclusion. In addition, if we do not obtain a license, develop or obtain non-infringing technology, fail to defend an infringement action successfully or have infringed patents declared invalid, we may:

 

· incur substantial monetary damages;
· encounter significant delays in bringing our product candidates to market; and/or
· be precluded from participating in the manufacture, use or sale of our product candidates or methods of treatment requiring licenses.

 

Our commercial success depends in part on our avoiding infringement of the patents and proprietary rights of third parties. There is a substantial amount of litigation involving patent and other intellectual property rights in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, including Patent Office administrative proceedings, such as inter-parties reviews, and reexamination proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office or oppositions and revocations and other comparable proceedings in foreign jurisdictions. Numerous United States and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications, which are owned by third parties, exist in the fields in which we are developing product candidates. As the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries expand and more patents are issued, the risk increases that our product candidates may give rise to claims of infringement of the patent rights of others.

 

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Despite safe harbor provisions, third parties may assert that we are employing their proprietary technology without authorization. There may be third-party patents, of which we are currently unaware, with claims to materials, formulations, methods of doing research or library screening, methods of manufacture or methods for treatment related to the use or manufacture of our product candidates. Because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending patent published applications, which may later result in issued patents that our product candidates may infringe. In addition, third parties may obtain patents in the future and claim that use of our technologies infringes upon these patents. If any third-party patents were held by a court of competent jurisdiction to cover the manufacturing process of any of our product candidates, any molecules formed during the manufacturing process or any final product itself, the holders of any such patents may be able to block our ability to commercialize such product candidate unless we obtain a license under the applicable patents, or until such patents expire or they are finally determined to be held invalid or unenforceable. Similarly, if any third-party patent were held by a court of competent jurisdiction to cover aspects of our formulations, processes for manufacture or methods of use, including combination therapy or patient selection methods, the holders of any such patent may be able to block our ability to develop and commercialize the applicable product candidate unless we obtain a license, limit our uses, or until such patent expires or is finally determined to be held invalid or unenforceable. In either case, such a license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all.

 

Parties making claims against us may obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to further develop and commercialize one or more of our product candidates. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our business. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may have to pay substantial damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees for willful infringement, obtain one or more licenses from third parties, limit our uses, pay royalties or redesign our infringing product candidates, which may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure. We cannot predict whether any such license would be available at all or whether it would be available on commercially reasonable terms. Furthermore, even in the absence of litigation, we may need to obtain licenses from third parties to advance our research or allow commercialization of our product candidates. We may fail to obtain any of these licenses at a reasonable cost or on reasonable terms, if at all. In that event, we would be unable to further develop and commercialize one or more of our product candidates, which could harm our business significantly.

 

Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biopharmaceuticals, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial cost and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business.

 

Third-party claims of intellectual property infringement may prevent or delay our drug discovery and development efforts.

 

Confidentiality agreements with employees and others may not adequately prevent disclosure of our trade secrets and other proprietary information and may not adequately protect our intellectual property, which could limit our ability to compete.

 

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Because we operate in the highly technical field of research and development of small molecule drugs, we rely in part on trade secret protection in order to protect our proprietary trade secrets and unpatented know-how. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect, and we cannot be certain that others will not develop the same or similar technologies on their own. We have taken steps, including entering into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors, to protect our trade secrets and unpatented know-how. These agreements generally require that the other party keep confidential and not disclose to third parties all confidential information developed by the party or made known to the party by us during the course of the party’s relationship with us. We also typically obtain agreements from these parties which provide that inventions conceived by the party in the course of rendering services to us will be our exclusive property. However, these agreements may not be honored and may not effectively assign intellectual property rights to us. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally obtained and is using our trade secrets or know-how is difficult, expensive and time consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, courts outside the United States may be less willing to protect trade secrets or know-how. The failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive position.

 

We are dependent upon our license agreements with Yissum Research and Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ltd., our license agreement with Dalhousie University and our sublicense agreement with iCo Therapeutics Incorporated and the acquisition of technology from MabLife SAS. If we fail to make payments due or comply with other obligations under such agreements, our rights to such technology may be terminated and our business will be materially and adversely affected.

 

Pursuant to the terms of the license agreement with Yissum Research and Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ltd., we have acquired an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize patent applications and any issuing patents therefrom, research results and know-how related to some of our proprietary product candidates and technology. In addition, we have agreed to finance further research by Yissum to continue development of such product candidates.

 

Pursuant to the terms of the license agreement with Dalhousie University, we were granted an exclusive license to certain patents for the topical use of tricyclic anti-depressants and NMDA antagonists as topical analgesics for neuralgia.

 

Pursuant to the terms of the sublicense agreement with iCo Therapeutics Incorporated, we have acquired exclusive worldwide license and sublicense to patent applications, patents and know-how related to some of our proprietary product candidates and technology. Part of the sublicensed technology was licensed to iCo Therapeutics Incorporated by Cambridge Antibody Technologies or its successor entity, Medimmune and is subject to the terms of such license.

 

The licenses require us to pay various milestone, fees and costs, licensing and royalty payments to commercialize the technology. If we fail to make payments due or comply with other obligations under such agreements, our licenses may be terminated.

 

Pursuant to an assignment agreement with MabLife SAS, we purchased the rights to patents, and other technology related to our proprietary product candidates. If we fail to make installment payments when due under such agreement, such rights, will revert back to MabLife.

 

The loss of any such rights provided under the forgoing agreements could materially harm our financial condition and operating results.

 

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We may be unable to adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information.

 

We also rely on trade secrets to protect our proprietary technologies, especially where we do not believe patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect. We rely in part on confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers, and other advisors to protect our trade secrets and other proprietary information. These agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of confidential information and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. In addition, others may independently discover our trade secrets and proprietary information. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position.

 

If we are unable to obtain licenses needed for the development of our product candidates, or if we breach any of the agreements under which we license rights to patents or other intellectual property from third parties, we could lose license rights that are important to our business.

 

If we are unable to maintain and/or obtain licenses needed for the development of our product candidates in the future, we may have to develop alternatives to avoid infringing on the patents of others, potentially causing increased costs and delays in drug development and introduction or precluding the development, manufacture, or sale of planned products. Some of our licenses provide for limited periods of exclusivity that require minimum license fees and payments and/or may be extended only with the consent of the licensor. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to meet these minimum license fees in the future or that these third parties will grant extensions on any or all such licenses. This same restriction may be contained in licenses obtained in the future.

 

Additionally, we can provide no assurance that the patents underlying any licenses will be valid and enforceable. To the extent any products developed by us are based on licensed technology, royalty payments on the licenses will reduce our gross profit from such product sales and may render the sales of such products uneconomical. In addition, the loss of any current or future licenses or the exclusivity rights provided therein could materially harm our business financial condition and our operations.

 

If any of our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information is disclosed, the value of our trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary rights would be significantly impaired and our business and competitive position would suffer.

 

Our success also depends upon the skills, knowledge and experience of our scientific and technical personnel and our consultants and advisors, as well as our licensors. To help protect our proprietary know-how and our inventions for which patents may be unobtainable or difficult to obtain, we rely on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements. Unlike some of our competitors, we maintain our proprietary libraries for ourselves as we believe they have proven to be superior in obtaining strong binder product candidates. To this end, we require all of our employees, consultants, advisors and contractors to enter into agreements, which prohibit the disclosure of confidential information and, where applicable, require disclosure and assignment to us of the ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions important to our business. These agreements may not provide adequate protection for our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use or disclosure or the lawful development by others of such information. If any of our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information is disclosed, the value of our trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary rights would be significantly impaired and our business and competitive position would suffer.

 

From time to time we may need to license patents, intellectual property and proprietary technologies from third parties, which may be difficult or expensive to obtain.

 

We may need to obtain licenses to patents and other proprietary rights held by third parties to successfully develop, manufacture and market our drug products. As an example, it may be necessary to use a third party’s proprietary technology to reformulate one of our drug products in order to improve upon the capabilities of the drug product. If we are unable to timely obtain these licenses on reasonable terms, our ability to commercially exploit our drug products may be inhibited or prevented.

 

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Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

 

We have a limited operating history and are heavily dependent on the success of our technologies and product candidates, and we cannot give any assurance that any of our product candidates will receive regulatory approval, which is necessary before they can be commercialized.

 

To date, we have invested a significant portion of our efforts and financial resources in the acquisition and development of our product candidates. We have not demonstrated our ability to perform the functions necessary for the successful acquisition, development or commercialization of the technologies we are seeking to develop. Because we only recently commenced operations, we have a limited operating history upon which you can evaluate our business and prospects. Also, as an early stage company, we have limited experience and have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully overcome many of the risks and uncertainties frequently encountered by companies in new and rapidly evolving fields, particularly in the biopharmaceutical area. Our future success is substantially dependent on our ability to successfully develop, obtain regulatory approval for, and then successfully commercialize such product candidates. Our product candidates are currently in preclinical development or in clinical trials. Our business depends entirely on the successful development and commercialization of our product candidates, which may never occur. We currently generate no revenues from sales of any drugs, and we may never be able to develop or commercialize a marketable drug.

 

The successful development, and any commercialization, of our technologies and any product candidates would require us to successfully perform a variety of functions, including:

 

· developing our technology platform;
· identifying, developing, manufacturing and commercializing product candidates;
· entering into successful licensing and other arrangements with product development partners;
· participating in regulatory approval processes;
· formulating and manufacturing products; and
· conducting sales and marketing activities.

 

Our operations have been limited to organizing our company, acquiring, developing and securing our proprietary technology and identifying and obtaining early preclinical data or clinical data for various product candidates. These operations provide a limited basis for you to assess our ability to continue to develop our technology, identify product candidates, develop and commercialize any product candidates we are able to identify and enter into successful collaborative arrangements with other companies, as well as for you to assess the advisability of investing in our securities. Each of these requirements will require substantial time, effort and financial resources.

 

Each of our product candidates will require additional preclinical or clinical development, management of preclinical, clinical and manufacturing activities, regulatory approval in multiple jurisdictions, obtaining manufacturing supply, building of a commercial organization, and significant marketing efforts before we generate any revenues from product sales. We are not permitted to market or promote any of our product candidates before we receive regulatory approval from the FDA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, and we may never receive such regulatory approval for any of our product candidates. In addition, our product development programs contemplate the development of companion diagnostics by our third-party collaborators. Companion diagnostics are subject to regulation as medical devices and must themselves be cleared or approved for marketing by the FDA or certain other foreign regulatory agencies before we may commercialize our product candidates.

 

Clinical drug development involves a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, and results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future trial results.

 

Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. Failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process. The results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials of our product candidates may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials. Product candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy traits despite having progressed through preclinical studies and initial clinical trials. It is not uncommon for companies in the biopharmaceutical industry to suffer significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or adverse safety profiles, notwithstanding promising results in earlier trials. Our future clinical trial results may not be successful.

 

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This product candidate development risk is heightened by any changes in the planned clinical trials compared to the completed clinical trials. As product candidates are developed through preclinical to early and late stage clinical trials towards approval and commercialization, it is customary that various aspects of the development program, such as manufacturing and methods of administration, are altered along the way in an effort to optimize processes and results. While these types of changes are common and are intended to optimize the product candidates for late stage clinical trials, approval and commercialization, such changes do carry the risk that they will not achieve these intended objectives.

 

We have not previously initiated or completed a corporate-sponsored clinical trial. Consequently, we may not have the necessary capabilities, including adequate staffing, to successfully manage the execution and completion of any clinical trials we initiate, in a way that leads to our obtaining marketing approval for our product candidates in a timely manner, or at all.

 

In the event we are able to conduct a pivotal clinical trial of a product candidate, the results of such trial may not be adequate to support marketing approval. Because our product candidates are intended for use in life- threatening diseases, in some cases we ultimately intend to seek marketing approval for each product candidate based on the results of a single pivotal clinical trial. As a result, these trials may receive enhanced scrutiny from the FDA. For any such pivotal trial, if the FDA disagrees with our choice of primary endpoint or the results for the primary endpoint are not robust or significant relative to control, are subject to confounding factors, or are not adequately supported by other study endpoints, including possibly overall survival or complete response rate, the FDA may refuse to approve a BLA or an NDA based on such pivotal trial. The FDA may require additional clinical trials as a condition for approving our product candidates.

 

Delays in clinical testing could result in increased costs to us and delay our ability to generate revenue.

 

Although we are planning for certain clinical trials relating to Bertilimumab and AmiKet , we may experience delays in our clinical trials and we do not know whether planned clinical trials will begin on time, need to be redesigned, enroll patients on time or be completed on schedule, if at all. Clinical trials can be delayed for a variety of reasons, including delays related to:

 

· reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective contract research organizations, or CROs, and clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and trial sites;
· obtaining institutional review board, or IRB, approval at each site;
· recruiting suitable patients to participate in a trial;
· clinical sites deviating from trial protocol or dropping out of a trial;
· having patients complete a trial or return for post-treatment follow-up;
· developing and validating companion diagnostics on a timely basis, if required;
· adding new clinical trial sites;
· manufacturing sufficient quantities of product candidate for use in clinical trials; or
· Patient enrollment, a significant factor in the timing of clinical trials, is affected by many factors including the size and nature of the patient population, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, the eligibility criteria for the trial, the design of the clinical trial, competing clinical trials and clinicians’ and patients’ perceptions as to the potential advantages of the drug being studied in relation to other available therapies, including any new drugs that may be approved for the indications we are investigating.

 

Furthermore, we intend to rely on CROs and clinical trial sites to ensure the proper and timely conduct of our clinical trials and we intend to have agreements governing their committed activities, we will have limited influence over their actual performance.

 

We could encounter delays if a clinical trial is suspended or terminated by us, by the IRBs of the institutions in which such trials are being conducted, by the Data Safety Monitoring Board, or DSMB, for such trial or by the FDA or other regulatory authorities. Such authorities may impose such a suspension or termination due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical protocols, inspection of the clinical trial operations or trial site by the FDA or other regulatory authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical hold, unforeseen safety issues or adverse side effects, failure to demonstrate a benefit from using a drug, changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions or lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial. If we experience delays in the completion of, or termination of, any clinical trial of our product candidates, the commercial prospects of our product candidates will be harmed, and our ability to generate product revenues from any of these product candidates will be delayed. In addition, any delays in completing our clinical trials will increase our costs, slow down our product candidate development and approval process and jeopardize our ability to commence product sales and generate revenues. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly. In addition, many of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates.

 

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We may expand our business through the acquisition of companies or businesses or by entering into collaborations or in-licensing product candidates that could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition.

 

We may in the future seek to expand our pipeline and capabilities by acquiring one or more companies or businesses, entering into collaborations or in-licensing one or more product candidates. Acquisitions, collaborations and in-licenses involve numerous risks, including:

 

· potentially dilutive issuance of equity securities;
· substantial cash expenditures;
· incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities, some of which may be difficult or impossible to identify at the time of acquisition;
· difficulties in assimilating the operations and technology of the acquired companies;
· potential disputes regarding contingent consideration;
· the assumption of unknown liabilities of the acquired businesses;
· diverting our management’s attention away from other business concerns;
· entering markets in which we have limited or no direct experience; and
· potential loss of our key employees or key employees of the acquired companies or businesses.

 

Our experience in making acquisitions, entering collaborations and in-licensing product candidates is limited. We cannot assure you that any acquisition, collaboration or in-license will result in short-term or long-term benefits to us. We may incorrectly judge the value or worth of an acquired company or business or in-licensed product candidate. In addition, our future success would depend in part on our ability to manage the rapid growth associated with some of these acquisitions, collaborations and in-licenses. We cannot assure you that we would be able to successfully combine our business with that of acquired businesses, manage a collaboration or integrate in-licensed product candidates or that such efforts would be successful. Furthermore, the development or expansion of our business or any acquired business or company or any collaboration or in-licensed product candidate may require a substantial capital investment by us. We may use our securities as payment for all or a portion of the purchase price or acquisitions. If we issue significant amounts of our securities for such acquisitions, this would result in substantial dilution of the equity interests of our stockholders.

 

Competition for patients in conducting clinical trials may prevent or delay product development and strain our limited financial resources.

 

Many pharmaceutical companies are conducting clinical trials in patients with the disease indications that our potential drug products target. As a result, we must compete with them for clinical sites, physicians and the limited number of patients who fulfill the stringent requirements for participation in clinical trials. Also, due to the confidential nature of clinical trials, we do not know how many of the eligible patients may be enrolled in competing studies and who are consequently not available to us for our clinical trials. Our clinical trials may be delayed or terminated due to the inability to enroll enough patients. Patient enrollment depends on many factors, including the size of the patient population, the nature of the trial protocol, the proximity of patients to clinical sites and the eligibility criteria for the study. The delay or inability to meet planned patient enrollment may result in increased costs and delays or termination of the trial, which could have a harmful effect on our ability to develop products.

 

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The regulatory review and approval processes of the FDA and comparable foreign authorities are lengthy, time consuming and inherently unpredictable, and if we are ultimately unable to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, our business will be substantially harmed.

 

The time required to obtain approval by the FDA and comparable foreign authorities is unpredictable but typically takes many years following the commencement of clinical trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. In addition, review and approval policies, regulations, or the type and amount of clinical data necessary to gain approval may change during the course of a product candidate’s clinical development and may vary among jurisdictions. We have not obtained regulatory approval for any product candidate and it is possible that none of our existing product candidates or any product candidates we may seek to develop in the future will ever obtain regulatory approval.

 

Our product candidates could fail to receive regulatory approval for many reasons, including the following:

 

· the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with the design or implementation of our clinical trials;
· we may be unable to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities that a product candidate is safe and effective for its proposed indication;
· the results of clinical trials may not meet the level of statistical significance required by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities for approval;
· the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with our interpretation of data from preclinical studies or clinical trials;
· the data collected from clinical trials of our product candidates may not be sufficient to support the submission of an NDA or other submission or to obtain regulatory approval in the United States or elsewhere;
· the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may fail to approve the manufacturing processes or facilities of third-party manufacturers with which we contract for clinical and commercial supplies;
· the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may fail to approve the companion diagnostics we contemplate developing with partners; and
· the approval policies or regulations of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may significantly change in a manner rendering our clinical data insufficient for approval. This lengthy approval process as well as the unpredictability of future clinical trial results may result in our failing to obtain regulatory approval to market our product candidates, which would significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.

 

In addition, even if we were to obtain approval, regulatory authorities may approve any of our product candidates for fewer or more limited indications than we request, may not approve the price we intend to charge for our products, may grant approval contingent on the performance of costly post-marketing clinical trials, or may approve a product candidate with a label that does not include the labeling claims necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of that product candidate. Any of the foregoing scenarios could materially harm the commercial prospects for our product candidates.

 

We have not previously submitted a BLA or an NDA, to the FDA, or similar drug approval filings to comparable foreign authorities, for any product candidate, and we cannot be certain that any of our product candidates will be successful in clinical trials or receive regulatory approval. Further, our product candidates may not receive regulatory approval even if they are successful in clinical trials. If we do not receive regulatory approvals for our product candidates, we may not be able to continue our operations. Even if we successfully obtain regulatory approvals to market one or more of our product candidates, our revenues will be dependent, in part, upon our collaborators’ ability to obtain regulatory approval of the companion diagnostics to be used with our product candidates, as well as the size of the markets in the territories for which we gain regulatory approval and have commercial rights. If the markets for patients that we are targeting for our product candidates are not as significant as we estimate, we may not generate significant revenues from sales of such products, if approved.

 

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We plan to seek regulatory approval to commercialize our product candidates both in the United States, the European Union and in additional foreign countries. While the scope of regulatory approval is similar in other countries, to obtain separate regulatory approval in many other countries we must comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of such countries regarding safety and efficacy and governing, among other things, clinical trials and commercial sales, pricing and distribution of our product candidates, and we cannot predict success in these jurisdictions.

  

Our most rapid and cost effective access to market approval for NanomAbs depends on meeting the conditions for approval under Section 505(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, or FFDCA.

 

We will be seeking approval for NanomAbs under Section 505(b)(2) of the FFDCA, enacted as part of the Drug Price Competition and Patent Restoration Act of 1984, otherwise known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, which permits applicants to rely in part on preclinical and clinical data generated by third parties. For instance, FDA currently does not know which data will be sufficient to support various cancer indications. Sufficiency of the data for approval will be a review issue after an NDA filing.

 

Healthcare reform measures could hinder or prevent our product candidates’ commercial success.

 

In both the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions, there have been and we expect there will continue to be a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the health care system that could impact our ability to sell our products profitably. The United States government and other governments have shown significant interest in pursuing healthcare reform. In particular, the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 revised the payment methodology for many products under the Medicare program in the United States. This has resulted in lower rates of reimbursement. In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, collectively, the Healthcare Reform Law, was enacted. The Healthcare Reform Law substantially changes the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers. Such government-adopted reform measures may adversely impact the pricing of healthcare products and services in the United States or internationally and the amount of reimbursement available from governmental agencies or other third-party payors.

 

There have been, and likely will continue to be, legislative and regulatory proposals at the federal and state levels directed at broadening the availability of healthcare and containing or lowering the cost of healthcare. We cannot predict the initiatives that may be adopted in the future. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of healthcare may adversely affect the demand for any drug products for which we may obtain regulatory approval, as well as our ability to set satisfactory prices for our products, to generate revenues, and to achieve and maintain profitability.

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Risks Related to the Commercialization of Our Product Candidates

 

Even if any of our product candidates receives marketing approval, it may fail to achieve the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.

 

If any of our product candidates receives marketing approval, it may nonetheless fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community. For example, current cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy are well established in the medical community, and physicians may continue to rely on these treatments. In addition, many new drugs have been recently approved and many more are in the pipeline for the same diseases for which we are developing our product candidates. If our product candidates do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate significant product revenues and we may not become profitable. The degree of market acceptance of our product candidates, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including:

 

· their efficacy, safety and other potential advantages compared to alternative treatments;
· our ability to offer them for sale at competitive prices;
· their convenience and ease of administration compared to alternative treatments;
· the willingness of the target patient population to try new therapies and of physicians to prescribe these therapies;

 

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· the strength of marketing and distribution support;
· the availability of third-party coverage and adequate reimbursement for our product candidates;
· the prevalence and severity of their side effects;
· any restrictions on the use of our products together with other medications;
· interactions of our products with other medicines patients are taking; and
· inability of certain types of patients to take our product.

 

If we are unable to establish effective sales, marketing and distribution capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties with such capabilities, we may not be successful in commercializing our product candidates if and when they are approved.

 

We do not have a sales or marketing infrastructure and have no experience in the sale, marketing or distribution of pharmaceutical products. To achieve commercial success for any product for which we obtain marketing approval, we will need to establish a sales and marketing organization or make arrangements with third parties to perform sales and marketing functions.

 

In the future, we expect to build a focused specialty sales and marketing infrastructure to market or co-promote some of our product candidates in the United States and potentially elsewhere, if and when they are approved. There are risks involved with establishing our own sales, marketing and distribution capabilities. For example, recruiting and training a sales force is expensive and time consuming and could delay any product launch. If the commercial launch of a product candidate for which we recruit a sales force and establish marketing capabilities is delayed or does not occur for any reason, we would have prematurely or unnecessarily incurred these commercialization expenses. This may be costly, and our investment would be lost if we cannot retain or reposition our sales and marketing personnel.

 

Factors that may inhibit our efforts to commercialize our products on our own include:

 

· our inability to recruit, train and retain adequate numbers of effective sales and marketing personnel;
· the inability of sales personnel to obtain access to or educate physicians on the benefits of our products;
· the lack of complementary products to be offered by sales personnel, which may put us at a competitive disadvantage relative to companies with more extensive product lines;
· unforeseen costs and expenses associated with creating an independent sales and marketing organization; and
· inability to obtain sufficient coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors and governmental agencies.

 

Outside the United States, we expect to rely on third parties to sell, market and distribute our product candidates. We may not be successful in entering into arrangements with such third parties or may be unable to do so on terms that are favorable to us. In addition, our product revenues and our profitability, if any, may be lower if we rely on third parties for these functions than if we were to market, sell and distribute any products that we develop ourselves. We likely will have little control over such third parties, and any of them may fail to devote the necessary resources and attention to sell and market our products effectively. If we do not establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities successfully, either on our own or in collaboration with third parties, we will not be successful in commercializing our product candidates.

 

We face substantial competition, which may result in others discovering, developing or commercializing competing products before or more successfully than we do.

 

The development and commercialization of new drug products is highly competitive. We face competition with respect to our current product candidates, and will face competition with respect to any product candidates that we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future, from major pharmaceutical companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies worldwide. There are a number of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that currently market and sell products or are pursuing the development of products for the treatment of the disease indications for which we are developing our product candidates. Some of these competitive products and therapies are based on scientific approaches that are the same as or similar to our approach, and others are based on entirely different approaches. Potential competitors also include academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations that conduct research, seek patent protection and establish collaborative arrangements for research, development, manufacturing and commercialization.

 

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Many of the companies against which we are competing or against which we may compete in the future have significantly greater financial resources, established presence in the market and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting 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 and other 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, sales and marketing and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.

 

Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than any products that we may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. In addition, our ability to compete may be affected in many cases by insurers or other third-party payors seeking to encourage the use of generic products. Major competing products to our lead drug, Bertilimumab, such as Remicade and Humira are expected to become available on a generic basis over the coming years. If our product candidates achieve marketing approval, we expect that they will be priced at a significant premium over competitive generic products. Multiple other new drugs will be launched prior to Bertilimumab in its various target indications but may limit its potential market acceptance. NanomAbs are competing with other Ligand Nanoparticle Conjugates developed by well-funded companies such as BIND Therapeutics and Merrimack. They are also competing with other types of Bio-Conjugates including Antibody Drug Conjugates developed by Seattle Genetics and Immunogen. Insufficient funding or inability to secure timely corporate partnerships will prevent Immune Pharmaceuticals from successfully developing the commercial opportunity with NanomAbs.

 

Even if we are able to commercialize any product candidates, the products may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations, third-party reimbursement practices or healthcare reform initiatives, which would harm our business.

 

The regulations that govern marketing approvals, pricing, coverage and reimbursement for new drug products vary widely from country to country. Current and future legislation may significantly change the approval requirements in ways that could involve additional costs and cause delays in obtaining approvals. Some countries require approval of the sale price of a drug before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing or product-licensing approval is granted. In some foreign markets, prescription pharmaceutical pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control, including possible price reductions, even after initial approval is granted. As a result, we might obtain marketing approval for a product in a particular country, but then be subject to price regulations that delay our commercial launch of the product, possibly for lengthy time periods, and negatively impact the revenues we are able to generate from the sale of the product in that country. Adverse pricing limitations may hinder our ability to recoup our investment in one or more product candidates, even if our product candidates obtain marketing approval.

 

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Our ability to commercialize any product candidates successfully also will depend in part on the extent to which coverage and reimbursement for these products and related treatments will be available from government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other organizations. Government authorities and third-party payors, such as private health insurers and health maintenance organizations, decide which medications they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels. A primary trend in the U.S. healthcare industry and elsewhere is cost containment. Government authorities and third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications. Increasingly, third-party payors are requiring that drug companies provide them with predetermined discounts from list prices and are challenging the prices charged for drugs. Coverage and reimbursement may not be available for any product that we commercialize and, even if these are available, the level of reimbursement may not be sufficient to generate a profit. Reimbursement may affect the demand for, or the price of, any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval. Obtaining and maintaining adequate reimbursement for our products may be difficult. We may be required to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies to justify coverage and reimbursement or the level of reimbursement relative to other therapies. If coverage and reimbursement are not available or reimbursement is available only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize any product candidate for which we obtain marketing approval.

 

There may be significant delays in obtaining reimbursement for newly approved drugs, and coverage may be more limited than the purposes for which the drug is approved by the FDA or similar regulatory authorities outside the United States. Moreover, eligibility for reimbursement does not imply that a drug will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Interim reimbursement levels for new drugs, if applicable, may also not be sufficient to cover our costs and may not be made permanent. Reimbursement rates may vary according to the use of the drug and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on reimbursement levels already set for lower cost drugs and may be incorporated into existing payments for other services. Net prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of drugs from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States. Third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement policies. Our inability to promptly obtain coverage and adequate reimbursement rates from both government-funded and private payors for any approved products that we develop could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, our ability to raise capital needed to commercialize products and our overall financial condition.

 

Product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and to limit commercialization of any products that we may develop.

 

We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to the testing of our product candidates in human clinical trials and will face an even greater risk if we commercially sell any products that we may develop. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against claims that our product candidates or products caused injuries, we will incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

 

· decreased demand for any product candidates or products that we may develop;
· injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention;
· withdrawal of clinical trial participants;
· significant costs to defend the related litigation;
· substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients;
· loss of revenue;
· reduced resources of our management to pursue our business strategy; and
· the inability to commercialize any products that we may develop.

 

We currently hold $5,000 in product liability insurance coverage in the aggregate and per incident, which may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur. We may need to increase our insurance coverage as we expand our clinical trials or if we commence commercialization of our product candidates. Insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise.

 

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Risks Related to Our Common Stock

 

The price of our common stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially, which could result in substantial losses for purchasers of our shareholders.

 

Our stock price is likely to be volatile. The stock market in general and the market for smaller biopharmaceutical companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including:

 

· the success of competitive products or technologies;
· results of clinical trials of our product candidates or those of our competitors;
· developments related to our existing or any future collaboration;
· regulatory or legal developments in the United States and other countries;
· developments or disputes concerning patent applications, issued patents or other proprietary rights;
· the recruitment or departure of key personnel;
· the level of expenses related to any of our product candidates or clinical development programs;
· the results of our efforts to discover, develop, acquire or in-license additional product candidates or products;
· actual or anticipated changes in estimates as to financial results, development timelines or recommendations by securities analysts;
· variations in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;
· changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;
· market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;
· general economic, industry and market conditions; and
· the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section.

 

If we do not remediate the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or are unable to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, the accuracy and timeliness of our financial reporting may be adversely affected .

 

In connection with the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2014, we identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a significant deficiency, or combination of significant deficiencies, that results in there being more than a remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by management or employees in the normal course of performing their assigned functions. Although the Company has attempted to address the identified material weaknesses by hiring a new chief financial officer and controller, management concluded that the Company's internal controls over financial reporting were not effective at December 31, 2014. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, or COSO, in Internal Control-Integrated Framework .

 

Our management has identified material weaknesses in our internal control related to lack of sufficient personnel and processes to adequately and timely process and approve certain financial transactions and significant contracts, and adequately and timely record certain complex financial transactions. The existence of a material weakness is an indication that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our financial statements will not be prevented or detected. Since December 31, 2014, management has adopted additional entity level controls and implemented additional procedures to bring our internal control procedures into compliance with the criteria established by COSO. Management has identified and began to implement certain remediatory measures, including a more rigorous and timely review of complex agreements prior to their execution, that is intended to reasonably assure management that its disclosure controls and procedures are effective and the hiring of finance personnel. These measures also include staff training, an expanded review of our outstanding agreements, and the implementation of additional entity level controls to ensure timely reviews of agreements pre- and post-execution. Remediation efforts will continue through the next several financial close cycles until such time as management is able to conclude that its remediation efforts are operating and effective.

 

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we assess the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting annually and disclosure controls and procedures quarterly. If we are unable to remediate the above material weaknesses, or other material weaknesses are identified in the future or we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, our reported financial results could be materially misstated, we could receive an adverse opinion regarding our internal controls over financial reporting from our accounting firm, if and when required, and we could be subject to investigations or sanctions by regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources, and the market price of our stock could decline. For so long as we remain as a smaller reporting company, our accounting firm will not be required to provide an opinion regarding our internal controls over financial reporting.

 

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In addition, because we have concluded that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective, and to the extent we identify future weaknesses or deficiencies, there could be material misstatements in our financial statements and we could fail to meet our financial reporting obligations. As a result, our ability to obtain additional financing, or obtain additional financing on favorable terms, could be materially and adversely affected which, in turn, could materially and adversely affect our business, our financial condition and the market value of our securities.

 

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding our stock, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

 

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business or us. Three analysts in the United States and one in Sweden currently cover our stock. If any of the analysts who cover us issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding us, our business model, our intellectual property or our stock performance, or if our target animal studies and operating results fail to meet the expectations of analysts, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

 

Provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated by-laws and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of our company, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

 

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated by-laws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of our company that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which you might otherwise receive a premium for your shares. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our common stock. In addition, because our board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors. Among other things, these provisions include those establishing:

 

· a classified board of directors with three-year staggered terms, which may delay the ability of stockholders to change the membership of a majority of our board of directors;
· no cumulative voting in the election of directors, which limits the ability of minority stockholders to elect director candidates;
· the exclusive right of our board of directors to elect a director to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the board of directors or the resignation, death or removal of a director, which prevents stockholders from filling vacancies on our board of directors;
· the ability of our board of directors to authorize the issuance of shares of preferred stock and to determine the terms of those shares, including preferences and voting rights, without stockholder approval, which could be used to significantly dilute the ownership of a hostile acquirer;
· the ability of our board of directors to alter our bylaws without obtaining stockholder approval;
· the required approval of the holders of at least three-quarters (75%) of the shares entitled to vote at an election of directors to adopt, amend or repeal our bylaws or repeal the provisions of our certificate of incorporation regarding the election and removal of directors;
· a prohibition on stockholder action by written consent, which forces stockholder action to be taken at an annual or special meeting of our stockholders;
· the requirement that a special meeting of stockholders may be called only by the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive officer, the president or the board of directors, which may delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors; and
· advance notice procedures that stockholders must comply with in order to nominate candidates to our board of directors or to propose matters to be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting, which may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us.

 

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Moreover, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, which prohibits a person who owns in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person acquired in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock, unless the merger or combination is approved in a prescribed manner.

 

Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gain.

 

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. In addition, our credit facility currently prohibits us from paying dividends on our equity securities, and any future debt agreements may likewise preclude us from paying dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

 

 However, our Preferred Stock carries a dividend of 8% per annum, based on the stated value of $1,000 per share of Preferred Stock, payable in cash or, at our option and subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, in shares of common stock. Dividends on the Preferred Stock will accrue from the date of issuance and be paid on the date of conversion thereof.

 

We could be subject to securities class action litigation.

 

In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following a decline in the market price of its securities. This risk is especially relevant for us because pharmaceutical companies have experienced significant stock price volatility in recent years. If we face such litigation, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could harm our business.

 

If we fail to comply with the continued listing requirements of the NASDAQ Capital Market, our common stock may be delisted and the price of our common stock and our ability to access the capital markets could be negatively impacted.

 

Our common stock is listed for trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market (“NASDAQ”). We must satisfy NASDAQ’s continued listing requirements, including, among other things, a minimum closing bid price requirement of $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days. If a company trades for 30 consecutive business days below the $1.00 minimum closing bid price requirement, NASDAQ will send a deficiency notice to the company, advising that it has been afforded a "compliance period" of 180 calendar days to regain compliance with the applicable requirements. Thereafter, if such a company does not regain compliance with the bid price requirement, a second 180-day compliance period may be available.

 

A delisting of our common stock from NASDAQ could materially reduce the liquidity of our common stock and result in a corresponding material reduction in the price of our common stock. In addition, delisting could harm our ability to raise capital through alternative financing sources on terms acceptable to us, or at all, and may result in the potential loss of confidence by investors, employees and fewer business development opportunities.

 

Risks Related to Employee Matters and Managing Growth and Other Risks Related to Our Business

 

Our future success depends on our ability to retain key executives and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.

 

We are highly dependent on Dr. Daniel G. Teper, our Chief Executive Officer, as well as the other principal members of our management, scientific and clinical team. Although we have entered into employment letter agreements with our executive officers, each of them may terminate their employment with us at any time. We do not maintain “key person” insurance for any of our executives or other employees.

 

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Recruiting and retaining qualified scientific, clinical, manufacturing and sales and marketing personnel will also be critical to our success. The loss of the services of our executive officers or other key employees could impede the achievement of our research, development and commercialization objectives and seriously harm our ability to successfully implement our business strategy. Furthermore, replacing executive officers and key employees may be difficult and may take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to successfully develop, gain regulatory approval of and commercialize products. Competition to hire from this limited pool is intense, and we may be unable to hire, train, retain or motivate these key personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for similar personnel. We also experience competition for the hiring of scientific and clinical personnel from universities and research institutions. In addition, we rely on consultants and advisors, including scientific and clinical advisors, to assist us in formulating our research and development and commercialization strategy. Our consultants and advisors may be employed by employers other than us and may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with other entities that may limit their availability to us. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high quality personnel, our ability to pursue our growth strategy will be limited.

 

We expect to expand our development and regulatory capabilities and potentially implement sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, and as a result, we may encounter difficulties in managing our growth, which could disrupt our operations.

 

We expect to experience significant growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations, particularly in the areas of drug development, regulatory affairs, manufacturing and, if any of our product candidates receives marketing approval, sales, marketing and distribution. To manage our anticipated future growth, we must continue to implement and improve our managerial, operational and financial systems, expand our facilities and continue to recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Due to our limited financial resources and the limited experience of our management team in managing a company with such anticipated growth, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel. The expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert our management and business development resources. Any inability to manage growth could delay the execution of our business plans or disrupt our operations.

 

A variety of risks associated with operating internationally could materially adversely affect our business.

 

In addition to our U.S. operations, we have operations in Israel through our wholly owned subsidiary, Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd., and may have other such international operations in the future. We face risks associated with our operations in Israel, including possible unfavorable regulatory, pricing and reimbursement, legal, political, tax and labor conditions, which could harm our business. We are also conducting and in the future plan to continue to conduct clinical trials of product candidates in Israel. We are subject to numerous risks associated with international business activities in Israel and elsewhere, including:

 

· compliance with differing or unexpected regulatory requirements for our products;
· compliance with Israeli laws with respect to our wholly owned subsidiary, Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd.;
· difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations;
· foreign government taxes, regulations and permit requirements;
· U.S. and foreign government tariffs, trade restrictions, price and exchange controls and other regulatory requirements;
· economic weakness, including inflation, natural disasters, war, events of terrorism or political instability in particular foreign countries;
· fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenues;
· compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws, regulations and restrictions for employees living or traveling abroad;
· changes in diplomatic and trade relationships; and
· challenges in enforcing our contractual and intellectual property rights, especially in those foreign countries that do not respect and protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the United States.

 

These and other risks associated with our international operations in Israel and elsewhere may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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

 

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our current and future contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. While we are not aware of any such material system failure, accident or security breach to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our development programs and our business operations. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. Likewise, we rely on third parties to manufacture our product candidates and conduct clinical trials, and similar events relating to their computer systems could also have a material adverse effect on our business. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and the further development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed.

  

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

 

The Company’s lease at 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, expired on March 31, 2014. From April 1, 2014 through July 31, 2014, the Company’s headquarters were relocated to 708 Third Avenue, New York, NY, 10017. Effective August 1, 2014, the Company’s headquarters were relocated to Cambridge Innovation Center, 1 Broadway, 14th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142. The aggregate monthly rental payment for such lease was approximately $1 per month; the lease can be terminated after a 30 days’ notice. In October 2014, the Company signed a one-year lease for a corporate apartment in Long Island, NY, for a total monthly cost of $3. In February 2015, the Company’s headquarters were relocated to 430 East 29th Street, Suite 940, New York, NY 10016. The aggregate monthly rental payment for such lease is approximately $17 per month and the lease expires in 2020. The Company’s lease of office space at 15 Abba Even, Herzliya, Israel, expired on December 31, 2013 and it had entered into a new, three-year, agreement for the lease of office space at 11 Galgalei HaPlada, Herzliya, Israel, effective as of December 15, 2013. The aggregate monthly rental payment for such lease is approximately $6 per month. The Company’s lease of laboratory space in Rehovot, Israel expired in March 2014 and was not renewed. For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company recorded rent expense of $158 and $100, respectively.

 

 ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 

 

On November 25, 2008, plaintiffs Kenton L. Cowley and John A. Flores filed a complaint against EpiCept Corporation in the United States District Court, New Jersey, which was transferred on March 20, 2009 to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. The complaint alleges breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, fraud, and rescission of contract with respect to the development of a topical cream containing ketamine and butamben, known as EpiCept NP-2. On December 1, 2008, Drs. Kenton Crowley and John Flores filed suit against the Company for breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealings, fraud and rescission in connection with a patent assignment agreement entered by the parties in December 2001. Plaintiffs alleged that the Company breached the assignment agreement by failing to develop plaintiffs’ technology through FDA approval. The case was tried to a jury, which rendered a decision on March 23, 2015 in favor of the Company on all causes of action.

 

In October 2014, the Company has received a written demand from a former lender (“Lender”), for $9,100, which is based on an agreement with Immune Ltd., from 2011, relating to a loan of $260, which was repaid in full in 2011. The Lender demands to receive certain warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, to participate in a future public offering or merger of the Company, with certain discounted terms and cash damages. The Company currently estimates that its future loss would range between $300 (as accrued for) to $1,000, which the Company believes is likely to be settled in equity. The Company intends to vigorously defend itself against those demands, if and when official legal proceedings relating to this matter will be initiated.

 

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

 

Not applicable.

 

PART II

 

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

Market Information

 

Our common stock has been listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “IMNP” since August 21, 2014. Prior to August 21, 2014, our common stock was quoted on the OTCQX under the symbol “IMNP.” The last reported sale price for our common stock on April 13, 2015 was $1.87 per share.

 

The table below sets forth closing information on the range of high and low sales prices for our common stock as reported by The NASDAQ Capital Market since August 21, 2014 and the high and low bid prices for our common stock as reported on the OTCQX prior to August 21, 2014, during the periods indicated, with prices prior to August 25, 2013 adjusted to account for our 1-for-40 reverse stock split that occurred on that date.

.

    High     Low  
2014                
First Quarter   $ 5.65     $ 2.04  
Second Quarter     5.21       2.51  
Third Quarter     4.25       2.50  
Fourth Quarter     3.29       1.81  
                 
2013                
First Quarter   $ 4.80     $ 2.00  
Second Quarter     3.60       2.00  
Third Quarter     4.40       1.15  
Fourth Quarter     2.70       1.60  

 

The above quotations of the OTCQX, as provided by OTC Markets Group, Inc., reflect inter-dealer prices and do not include retail markup, markdown or commissions. In addition, these quotations may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

 

Stockholders

 

As of April 13, 2015, there were approximately 267 stockholder of record of our 24,566,616 outstanding shares of common stock. This does not reflect persons or entities that hold their stock in nominee or “street” name through various brokerage firms.

 

Dividends

 

We have never declared or paid dividends on our common stock and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future. Payment of cash dividends, if any, in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on applicable law and then-existing conditions, including our financial condition, operating results, contractual restrictions, capital requirements, business prospects and other factors our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay cash dividends is currently prohibited by the terms of our credit facility with MidCap Financial. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business.

 

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However, our Preferred Stock carries a dividend of 8% per annum, based on the stated value of one thousand dollars per share of Preferred Stock, payable in cash or, at our option and subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, in shares of common stock. Dividends on the Preferred Stock will accrue from the date of issuance and be paid on the date of conversion thereof.

 

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

None.

 

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

 

On the last day of each month of the fourth quarter of 2014, we issued to a consultant 3,191 shares of common stock for a total of 9,573 shares for services performed during the month.

 

On the first day of November and December 2014, we issued 10,000 shares of common stock for a total of 20,000 shares to various consultants for services performed during these months.

 

We issued 17,666 shares of common stock during the fourth quarter of 2014 for consulting services to various vendors for work performed by them during the quarter.

 

In November 2014, we accelerated the vesting of 433,333 restricted shares for Melini Capital Corp. and of 433,333 restricted shares previously granted to an existing investor. In January 2014, we entered into a consulting agreement with Melini Capital Corp. and granted it 600,000 restricted shares of our common stock, to vest monthly over three years.

 

The issuance of the foregoing securities were exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, under Section 4(a)(2) thereof as transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering inasmuch as the Company believes the acquirer is an accredited investor that acquired the securities for investment purposes and such securities were issued without any form of general solicitation or general advertising.

 

Convertible Bridge Note

 

On November 12, 2014, the Company received $1,000 in cash proceeds resulting from a bridge financing (“Bridge”) by an investor who previously invested $2,000 in August 2014. Under the agreement, the Company issued to the investor a convertible promissory note (the “Note”), bearing an annual interest rate of 12%. The Note was subordinated to the Company’s senior secured term loan from its lender, MidCap Financial. If the Company completed an offering of common stock prior to November 6, 2019, the maturity date of the Note, the balance remaining outstanding under the Note would automatically convert into shares of its common stock, at the price per share of common stock sold in its next financing transaction. In addition, as consideration for the bridge financing, the Company entered into a side letter and agreed that if the price per share in its next public offering was less than $4.00 per share (the subscription price paid by such investor in the August 2014 Financing), it will issue additional shares of common stock to the investor in an amount such that the total subscription price paid in August 2014, when divided by the total number of shares issued to such investor will result in an actual price paid per share of common stock equal to such lower price. As a result, in connection with our November 2014, underwritten public offering, the Note converted into 400,000 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock, at an exercise price of $3.75 per share. We also issued an additional 300,000 shares such that the total subscription price paid in August 2014, when divided by the total number of shares issued to such investor will result in an actual price paid per share equal to $2.50, the latest price per unit in our November 2014 underwritten offering. The issuance of the foregoing securities were exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, under Section 4(a)(2) thereof as transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering inasmuch as the Company believes the acquirer is an accredited investor that acquired the securities for investment purposes and such securities were issued without any form of general solicitation or general advertising.

 

ITEM 6.     SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

 

Not applicable.

 

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by, our consolidated financial statements (including notes to the consolidated financial statements) and the other consolidated financial information appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, including those set forth under the section entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report, actual results may differ materially from those described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis. 

 

You should read the following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this report.  This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.  As a result of many factors, including those set forth under the section entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report, actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.

 

Overview

 

We are a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development and commercialization of targeted therapeutics, including monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs, nano-therapeutics and antibody drug conjugates, for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancer. We favor a personalized approach to treatment, with the development and use of companion diagnostics. Our business model is enabled by a late stage Phase III ready specialty pharma drug, AmiKet TM and a pipeline of first in class monoclonal antibodies with a lead product candidate, Bertilimumab, and NanomAbs, a technology platform that allows the targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics into cancer cells.

 

Bertilimumab

 

Our lead product candidate, Bertilimumab, is a fully human monoclonal antibody that targets eotaxin-1, a chemokine involved in inflammation. Eotaxin-1 has been validated as a bio-marker of disease severity and a therapeutic target for several inflammatory diseases. Bertilimumab has met the regulatory requirements for Phase II trials and we have obtained approval to initiate a placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase II clinical trial with Bertilimumab for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) and a Phase II clinical trial for bullous pemphigoid (BP), an auto-immune dermatological orphan indication. Initiation of the UC trial is scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2015. Initiation of the BP trial is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2015.

 

We have submitted an orphan drug application for BP to the FDA in October 2014. We expect that the FDA will review our application once a few patients have been treated with Bertilimumab in the phase II open label clinical trial.

 

In addition, we began planning to initiate the clinical development in several other indications, including Non-Alcoholic Steato-Hepatitis (NASH) in 2015.

 

We are planning to submit an IND in the second quarter of 2015 in order to expand our clinical program first in BP and then in other indications in the United States. We previously communicated with the gastro-enterological division of the FDA and submitted a pre-Investigational New Drug application, or IND, meeting request on October 14, 2012. The pre-IND application is an early communication with the FDA to obtain guidance on the data necessary to support an IND submission. In a meeting on February 6, 2012, the FDA provided guidance and support with respect to the development of Bertilimumab for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, including recommendations as to minor chemistry, manufacturing, controls and preclinical studies, that will need to be conducted before the IND is submitted and during Bertilimumab’s clinical development. We have attempted to address the recommendations of the FDA and have conducted multiple studies to strengthen our IND.

 

Following approval from regulatory authorities and hospital institutional review boards, or IRBs, we qualified sites in the third quarter of 2014 for the Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of bullous pemphigoid and the placebo controlled, double-blind Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. To date, no patients have been enrolled in either clinical trial due to a quality control issue. We identified the presence of sub-visible particles in the finished product vials, which is a frequent issue with injectable and particularly biologic drugs. This type of issue is resolved in most cases at the site of drug administration through filtering and/or minor formulation changes. We have thoroughly investigated and successfully addressed this issue and now expect enrolling patients in the second quarter of 2015. In the third quarter of 2014, we started to manufacture a new good manufacturing practice (GMP) batch of Bertilimumab for the planned clinical trials. This batch is scheduled for release in early second quarter of 2015.

 

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We also initiated in the third quarter of 2014 the development of a new cell line for the manufacturing of Bertilimumab. We intend to monitor the competitive performance of the cell line as compared to the current cell line and will conduct bridging studies should we elect to move forward with the new cell line. Results obtained to date suggested a significantly higher productivity of the cell line, supporting lower cost of goods, with high comparability of characteristics. While bridging to Bertilumimab manufactured with the new cell line prior to starting phase III clinical trials may induce some limited delays in our overall development plan, we believe that any delay is outweighed by the potential benefits of improved compliance with regulatory requirements, reduced costs of goods and potentially new intellectual property.

 

AmiKet

 

AmiKet is a prescription topical analgesic cream containing a formulation of two FDA-approved drugs; amitriptyline, which is a widely-used antidepressant, and ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartic acid, or NMDA, antagonist that is used as an intravenous anesthetic. AmiKet is designed to provide effective, long-term relief from the pain caused by peripheral neuropathies. Peripheral neuropathy is a medical condition caused by damage to the nerves in the peripheral nervous system, which includes nerves that run from the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body. Because each of these ingredients has been shown to have significant analgesic effects and because NMDA antagonists, such as ketamine, have demonstrated the ability to enhance the analgesic effects of amitriptyline, we believe the combination is a good candidate for the development of a new class of analgesics. AmiKet has completed Phases I and II clinical trials involving 1,700 patients for the treatment of neuropathic pain. We believe that the entire neuropathic pain (“NP”) market is characterized by a high level of unmet need across all indications, and across the seven major markets: US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, and Japan. Moreover, the NP market is anticipated to grow during the forecast period, from $2.58 billion in 2012 to $3.53 billion in 2022, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 3.19%. We believe that AmiKet can be used effectively alone and in conjunction with orally delivered analgesics, such as gabapentin.

 

AmiKet is an odorless, white vanishing cream that is applied twice daily and is quickly absorbed into the applied area. We believe that the topical delivery of this patented combination represents a fundamentally new approach for the treatment of pain associated with peripheral neuropathy. In addition, we believe that the topical delivery of our product candidate will significantly reduce the risk of adverse side effects and drug to drug interactions associated with the systemic delivery of the active ingredients. The results of our clinical trials to date have suggested that the cream is safe for use for up to one year, and has a potent analgesic effect in subjects with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, or DPN, and post-herpetic neuralgia, or PHN. In 2010, the FDA granted AmiKet TM Orphan Drug status for the treatment of PHN.

 

We are preparing for Phase III clinical trials and are looking for a development and commercialization partner for AmiKet. During the third and fourth quarters of 2014, we performed an integrated review of all existing safety and efficacy data and produced a New Drug Application enabling development plan.

 

European regulatory agencies have provided favorable guidance for our plans towards securing a Marketing Authorisation Application, or MAA, in PHN. We have submitted planned phase III clinical trials to the FDA and expect our commercial partner to initiate clinical trials in the United States in late 2015. We have finalized an in depth analysis of pricing and reimbursement of AmiKet’s commercial potential in the U.S. and Europe, as well as potential partnering structures. In late December 2014, we initiated a comprehensive process targeting the 20 most likely development and commercial partners with the objective of commercializing AmiKet. Several companies are in advanced due diligence and term sheet discussions. We continue to anticipate an agreement to develop and commercialize AmiKet during the second quarter of 2015. Additionally, in March 2015, we entered into an agreement to develop a topical nanoparticle formulation of AmiKet, which we expect will increase the market exclusivity through novel patents, allow clinical development in additional indications and increase the overall value of Amiket to us and our commercial partner. Although we believe that we will enter into an agreement with a development and commercial partner during either the second or third quarter of 2015, there can be no assurance that we will do so on favorable terms or at all.

 

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NanomAbs Technology Platform

 

Our NanomAbs technology platform is an antibody-drug conjugate (“ADC”) platform capable of generating novel drugs with enhanced profiles, as compared to stand alone antibodies or ADCs. Antibodies are large, complex proteins produced by immune cells that bind to and help eliminate foreign and infectious agents in the body. Antibodies are Y-shaped, composed of two arms that recognize a unique part of the foreign target, called an antigen, and a stem that triggers the activation of additional immune cells. Monoclonal antibodies bind to a specific site in the antigen and can be designed to target specific cells and portions of cells that are involved in human diseases in order to neutralize their function or eliminate them completely. The main advantage of mAbs is their high selectivity and specificity to their target, which typically results in lower toxicity as compared to small molecule drugs. Our NanomAbs technology conjugates mAbs to drug loaded nanoparticles to target the drugs to specific cells. NanomAbs selectively accumulate in diseased tissues and cells, resulting in higher drug accumulation at the site of action with minimal off-target exposure. We are building a longer-term pipeline of NanomAbs for the treatment of cancer and may enter into collaborative agreements with other companies to acquire complementary drugs or technologies to accelerate the development of NanomAbs drug candidates.

 

Crolibulin

 

Crolibulin is a novel small molecule vascular disrupting agent, or VDA, and apoptosis inducer for the intended treatment of patients with solid tumors. Crolibulin is being studied by the National Cancer Institute in a Phase I/II trial for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer (“ATC”). Crolibulin has shown promising vascular targeting activity with potent anti-tumor activity in pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo studies and in a Phase I clinical trial. The molecule has been shown to induce tumor cell apoptosis and selectively inhibit growth of proliferating cell lines, including multi-drug resistant cell lines. Murine models of human tumor xenografts demonstrated Crolibulin inhibits growth of established tumors of a number of different cancer types. In preclinical animal tumor models, combination therapy has demonstrated synergistic activity with cytotoxic drugs as well as anti-angiogenic drugs. This may support further development of Crolibulin in a variety of cancers other than ATC, including but not limited to refractory ovarian cancer and neuro-endocrine tumors.

 

Recent Developments

 

November 2014 Underwritten Public Offering

 

On November 25, 2014, we completed an underwritten public offering of 3,450,000 units, with each unit consisting of (i) one share of the Company’s common stock, and (ii) a warrant to purchase 0.25 of a share of common stock, at a public offering price of $2.50 per unit, less underwriting discounts and commissions (the “November 2014 Offering”). The warrants are exercisable for a period of three years following the issuance, at an exercise price of $3.75 per a whole share. On November 26, 2014, we completed the underwriter’s partial exercise of the over-allotment option to purchase additional 459,697 units in connection with the Offering. The shares of common stock and warrants were mandatorily separable immediately upon issuance.

 

The net proceeds to us were approximately $8,645, including the partial exercise of the over-allotment option and after deducting underwriting commissions and discounts and expenses of the Offering.

 

Convertible Bridge Note

 

  On November 12, 2014, we received a $1,000 in cash proceeds resulting from a bridge financing (“Bridge”) by an investor who previously invested $2,000 in August 2014. Under the agreement, we issued to the investor a convertible promissory note, bearing an annual interest rate of 12%. The Note was subordinated to our senior secured term loan from our lender, MidCap Financial. In addition, as consideration for the bridge financing, we agreed that if the price per share in our next public offering is less than the $4.00 per share (the subscription price paid by such investor in the August Investment), we will issue additional shares of common stock to the investor in an amount such that the total subscription price paid in August 2014, when divided by the total number of shares issued to such investor will result in an actual price paid per share of common stock equal to the price of the latest offering. In connection with our November 2014 underwritten public offering, the Note converted into 400,000 shares of our common stock and warrants to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock, at an exercise price of $3.75 per share. We also issued an additional 300,000 shares such that the total subscription price paid in August 2014, when divided by the total number of shares issued to such investor will result in an actual price paid per share equal to $2.50, the latest price per unit in our November 2014 underwritten offering. 

 

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In November 2014, we accelerated the vesting of 433,333 restricted shares for Melini Capital Corp. and of 433,333 restricted shares previously granted to an existing investor. In January 2014, we entered into a consulting agreement with Melini Capital Corp. and granted it 600,000 restricted shares of our common stock, to vest monthly over three years. Mr. Daniel Kazado, the chairman of our board of directors, is affiliated to Melini Capital Corp.

 

March 2014 Private Placement, Conversion Price Reset, Anti-Dilution Adjustments and Restated Warrants

 

On March 10, 2014, we signed agreements to raise $11,720 (“March 2014 Financing”) through the sale of our designated Series C 8% Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Preferred C Stock”), convertible into shares of our common stock, at an initial conversion price per share equal to the lower of $3.40 and 85% of the offering price in a future public equity offering of at least $10,000, a five-year warrant to purchase 50% or 100% (as per the agreement with each investor) of a share of common stock at an exercise price equal to the lower of $4.25 and 125% of the conversion price of the Preferred Stock then in effect, and a five-year warrant to purchase 50% or 100% (as per the agreement with each investor) of our shares of common stock, at an exercise price equal to the lower of $5.10 and 150% of the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock then in effect (collectively, the “March 2014 Warrants”). One investor defaulted on payments of $1,000 under a short-term promissory note, resulting in rejection of the investor’s participation in March 2014 Financing. A total of $384 received from that investor in the second quarter of 2014 was applied in the August 2014 financing. In addition, two board members who participated in the March 2014 Financing and paid for their securities by fees earned for service as members of the board of directors, reduced their subscriptions by $20 each, resulting in the cancellation of an aggregate of 40 shares of Preferred C Stock and the related warrants.

 

The Preferred C Stock carries a dividend of 8% per annum, based on the stated value of $1,000 per share of Preferred C Stock, payable in cash or, at our option and subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, in our shares of common stock. Dividends on the Preferred C Stock accrue from the date of issuance and are paid on the date of conversion thereof. As of December 31, 2014, a total of $256 was recorded for dividend liability. In total, we issued 10,680 shares of Preferred C Stock, 1,680,945 March 2014 Warrants at an exercise price of $4.25 and 1,680,945 March 2014 Warrants at an exercise price of $5.10. We received total net proceeds of approximately $10,171 after deduction of related fees and expenses and shares issued to settle liabilities.

 

The March 2014 Warrants were accounted for as a derivative liability, as both the exercise price and the number of warrants issued is subject to certain anti-dilution adjustments. Therefore, on agreement date, the March 2014 Warrants were recorded at their fair value of $7,404. The Preferred C Stock was recorded as the difference between overall consideration and the fair value of the March 2014 Warrants on grant date. A total amount of $3,096 was accounted for as mezzanine equity according to ASC 480 “ Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity ”, as such shares bear clauses allowing for a future adjustment to the number of shares issued to investors. As per above, such adjustment may only increase the number of shares issued, as the conversion price may only be reduced from the initially set level of $3.40.

 

In connection with the March 2014 Financing, we filed a Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-195251) to register the resale of the shares of common stock underlying the Preferred C Stock, the shares of common stock underlying the March 2014 Warrants and certain shares of common stock that may be issuable as payment for dividends on the Preferred C Stock, which registration statement was declared effective by the SEC on April 25, 2014. Subsequently, and in accordance with the terms of the Preferred C Stock, such registration triggered a reduction of the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock from $3.40 to $2.71 and the exercise price of the warrants was reduced from $4.75 to $3.39 and from $5.10 to $4.07, as applicable. In addition, the number of March 2014 Warrants was adjusted to reflect the decrease in exercise price.

 

During the three month period ended June 30, 2014, prior to its reclassification out of mezzanine into equity, 4,168 shares of Preferred C Stock were converted into 1,529,262 shares of the Company’s common stock. In addition, during the six-month period ended December 31, 2014, after reclassification from mezzanine to equity, certain investors elected to convert an additional 3,680 shares of Preferred C Stock. As a result, 1,446,057 shares of common stock were issued by the Company during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014.

 

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On June 23, 2014, the holders agreed to amend the Corporation’s Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series C 8% Convertible Preferred C Stock (“Certificate of Designations”). Pursuant to the amendment, the holders of the Preferred C Stock are entitled, subject to the limitations on beneficial ownership contained in the Certificate of Designation, to vote on all matters as to which holders of our shares of common stock (the “Common Stock”) are entitled to vote. Each share of Preferred C Stock entitles its holder to such number of votes per share equal to the number of shares of Common Stock, which would be obtained upon the conversion of such share of Preferred C Stock as if converted at market value of the Common Stock on the date of issuance. In addition, pursuant to the amendment, in the event of future adjustments, the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock will not be less than $0.25. As a result of the amendment, all then outstanding Preferred C Stock, in the total value of $1,887, were reclassified from mezzanine equity into the stockholders equity.

 

In consideration for the consent of the Preferred C Stockholders to amend the Certificate of Designation, and pursuant to the consent of greater than 67% of the holders of the securities issued in the Company’s March 2014 Financing private placement allowing issuance of new securities by us, on June 23, 2014, we agreed to issue two-year warrants (the “June Warrants”) to purchase up to an aggregate of 427,179 shares of our Common Stock to the original purchasers of the Preferred C Stock, at an exercise price of $3.00 per share.

 

The June Warrants were valued at $441, using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, using the following assumptions: volatility of 81.38%, risk free interest rate of 0.45%, grant date stock price of $2.60, expected term of 2 years and 0% dividend yield. The June Warrants were accounted for within stockholders equity. We accounted for the amendment of our Preferred C Stock, classified as mezzanine equity prior to such amendment, as a modification of terms, as the additional fair value granted to investors for such modification was less than 10% of pre-amendment value of Preferred C Stock. As such, as of December 31, 2014, we recognized $441, which is the total value of our June Warrants, as a deemed dividend.

 

On August 13, 2014, pursuant to an amendment agreement, we and all of the holders of our March 2014 Warrants agreed to amend and restate the March 2014 Warrants to remove all anti-dilution provisions, and make certain other changes, in consideration for which, the exercise prices were reduced from $3.39 to $3.00 and from $4.07 to $3.50, and the number of warrants was increased from 2,108,938 to 2,381,342 and from 2,108,938 to 2,449,380, respectively. In addition, we issued to such holders a total of 224,127 of our unregistered shares of common stock (“Amendment Agreement”).

 

We accounted for the Amendment Agreement using the guidance in ASC 815 “ Derivatives and Hedging ” and ASC 470-50 “ Debt — Modifications and Extinguishments ”. Under ASC 470-50-40, as the overall modification was significant, extinguishment accounting was applied. As such, the difference between the fair value of the March 2014 Warrants just prior to the amendment and the fair value of the restated warrants and the restricted shares of common stock issued to investors, is to be recognized as a gain or a loss. As of August 13, 2014, the fair value of the original March 2014 Warrants was determined to be $7,882, the fair value of the restated warrants was determined to be $10,202 and the value of the unregistered shares of common stock was $825. As a result, a non-operating expense of $3,145 was recorded in the statement of operations to reflect the extinguishment. In addition, a total non-operating expense of $2,322 was recorded in the third quarter of 2014, representing the revaluation of the derivative March 2014 Warrant to its fair value just prior to its amendment on August 13, 2014. Since the warrants no longer contain the anti-dilution protection provisions after the amendment, they are no longer classified as liabilities, and therefore the fair value of the restated March 2014 Warrants of $10,202 was reclassified to stockholders’ equity.

 

The fair value was estimated using the Monte Carlo simulation and the Black-Scholes Model. The following assumptions were used to value the original warrants: volatility: 74.80%, share price: $4.11, risk free interest rate: 0.46%-0.52%, expected term: 2.50 years and dividend yield: 0%. The following assumptions were used to value the restated warrants: volatility: 74.40%, share price: $4.11, risk free interest rate: 0.71%, expected term: 2.03-2.08 years and dividend yield: 0%.

 

On August 22, 2014, we filed a registration statement on Form S-3 to register for resale the additional shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of our Preferred C Stock based on the adjusted conversion price of $2.71 per share, shares of common stock that may be issued as payment for dividends on the additional Preferred C Stock, payable through May 2, 2015, shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the June Warrants, and the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of our restated warrants. This registration statement on Form S-3 was declared effective on October 28, 2014. Subsequently, and in accordance with the terms of the Preferred C Stock, such registration triggered a reduction of the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock from $2.71 to $2.43. Consequently, as of November 5, 2014, an additional 126,564 shares of common stock may be issuable upon the conversion of the Preferred C Stock, an additional 10,125 shares may be issuable as payment for dividends thereon (the dividend amount represents the annual 8% accrual for the additional common stock shares to be issued due to ratchet triggering event).

 

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On March 10, 2015, in accordance with the terms of our Series C Preferred Stock (”Preferred C stock”), the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock was reduced to $1.51, which is 85% of the average of the 20 closing prices of the common stock immediately prior to such date. Consequently, as of March 10, 2015, an additional 710,015 shares of common stock are issuable upon the conversion of the Preferred C Stock, and an additional 64,187 shares are issuable as payment for dividends thereon (the dividend amount represents the annual 8% accrual for the additional common stock shares to be issued due to triggering event).

 

As of December 31, 2014, we had 2,832 shares of Preferred C Stock issued and outstanding which are convertible into an aggregate of 1,165,432 shares of common stock at a conversion price of $2.43 per share.

 

On April 14, 2015 the line of credit was amended to waive Melini’s right to terminate the line for one year from the amendment date or the completion of a new capital raise in excess of $5,000, if earlier.

    

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires that we make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We review our estimates on an ongoing basis. We have based our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances.  Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

Use of Estimates

 

In preparing consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, management is required 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 and revenues and expenses during the reported periods. Significant estimates include impairment and amortization of long lived assets (including intangible assets and In-process research and development (“IPR&D”)), stock based compensation, valuation of options, warrants, derivative liabilities and income taxes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

We anticipate that revenue under collaborative arrangements may result from license fees, milestone payments, research and development payments and royalty payments.  Our application of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States will involve subjective determinations and requires management to make judgments about the value of individual elements and whether they are separable from the other aspects of the contractual relationship. We evaluate our collaboration agreements to determine units of accounting for revenue recognition purposes. For collaborations containing a single unit of accounting, we recognize revenue when the fee is fixed or determinable, collectability is assured and the contractual obligations have occurred or been rendered. For collaborations involving multiple elements, our application requires management to make judgments about the value of the individual elements and whether they are separable from the other aspects of the contractual relationship.

 

Royalty revenue is recognized in the period the sales occur, provided that the royalty amounts are fixed or determinable, collection of the related receivable is reasonably assured and we have no remaining performance obligations under the arrangement providing for the royalty. If royalties are received when we have remaining performance obligations, they would be attributed to the services being provided under the arrangement and, therefore, recognized as such obligations are performed under either the proportionate performance or straight-line methods, as applicable.

 

Consolidation

 

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. and the Company’s 100%-owned subsidiaries, Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Immune Pharmaceuticals USA Corp., Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cytovia, Inc. and EpiCept GmbH (in liquidation). All inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated.

 

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Stock-based compensation

 

The Company recognizes compensation expense for all equity-based payments. Stock-based compensation issued to employees is accounted for under ASC 718-10, “Compensation- Share Compensation” (“ASC 718-10”). The Company utilizes the Black-Scholes valuation method to recognize compensation expense over the vesting period. Certain assumptions need to be made with respect to utilizing the Black-Scholes valuation model, including the expected life, volatility, risk-free interest rate and anticipated forfeiture of the stock options. The expected life of the stock options was calculated using the method allowed by the provisions of ASC 718-10. The risk-free interest rate is based on the rates paid on securities issued by the U.S. Treasury with a term approximating the expected life of the options. Estimates of pre-vesting option forfeitures are based on the Company’s experience. The Company will adjust its estimate of forfeitures over the requisite service period based on the extent to which actual forfeitures differ, or are expected to differ, from such estimates. Changes in estimated forfeitures will be recognized through a cumulative catch-up adjustment in the period of change and will also impact the amount of compensation expense to be recognized in future periods.

 

The Company accounts for share-based transactions with non-employees in which services are received in exchange for the equity instruments based upon the fair value of the equity instruments issued, in accordance with ASC 718-10 and ASC 505-50, “ Equity - Based Payments to Non-Employees ”. The two factors that most affect charges or credits to operations related to share-based compensation are the estimated fair market value of the common stock underlying stock options for which stock-based compensation is recorded and the estimated volatility of such fair market value. The value of such options is quarterly re-measured and income or expense is recognized during the vesting terms.

 

Accounting for share-based compensation granted by the Company requires fair value estimates of the equity instrument granted or sold. If the Company’s estimate of the fair value of stock-based compensation is too high or too low, it will have the effect of overstating or understating expenses. When stock-based grants are granted in exchange for the receipt of goods or services, the Company estimates the value of the stock-based compensation based upon the value of its common stock.

 

Foreign Currency

 

The Company’s functional currency is the U.S. dollar. Periodically, the Company enters into certain transactions denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. At the balance sheet date any amounts denominated in other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the period-end exchange rate and recorded as expense in the current period.

 

Research and Development Expenses

 

Research and development expenses consist primarily of the cost of the Company’s development and operations personnel, the cost of its clinical trials, manufacturing costs, as well as the cost of outsourced services. 

 

In-Process Research and Development

 

In-process research and development represents the estimated fair value assigned to research and development projects acquired in a purchased business combination that have not been completed at the date of acquisition and which have no alternative future use. IPR&D assets acquired in a business combination are capitalized as indefinite-lived intangible assets. These assets remain indefinite-lived until the completion or abandonment of the associated research and development efforts. During the period prior to completion or abandonment, those acquired indefinite-lived assets are not amortized but are tested for impairment annually, or more frequently, if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired.

 

As part of the Merger, the Company acquired the drug candidate AmiKet, and valued the asset at $27,500 as of the acquisition date. The Company periodically performs an analysis to determine whether the carrying value of the asset has been impaired based on facts and circumstances in existence as of that date. The Company completed an impairment analysis, which was triggered by the publication of certain results of a third party trial of AmiKet in chemotherapy induced neuropathic pain (CIPN), which concluded that the drug candidate was not statistically effective on certain clinical end points. The Company determined that no impairment had occurred. The Company does not expect the results of this trial to have a future impact on the carrying value of this asset, since no other neuropathic pain drug has been approved for CIPN and other AmiKet trials have shown efficacy and safety, competitive with market leaders, particularly in post-herpetic neuralgia, which the Company sees as the lead indication for Phase III clinical development and for potential regulatory approval. This determination is supported by the anticipated period of market exclusivity for which the drug will be eligible if approved as a designated orphan drug, the encouraging Phase II clinical trials in that indication, the anticipated success of Phase III clinical trials, as well as the expected commercial positioning of AmiKet if it is approved.

  

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Income Taxes

 

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740 “Income Taxes”. The Company is required to file income tax returns in the appropriate U.S. federal, state and local jurisdictions, including Boston, Massachusetts, New York State and City, and in Israel. All of the tax years from Inception to date are still open for the Company and its subsidiaries.  

 

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Under the asset and liability method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized based upon the differences arising from carrying amounts of the Company’s assets and liabilities for tax and financial reporting purposes using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect on the deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the period when the change in tax rates is enacted. A valuation allowance is established when it is determined that it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. A full valuation allowance has been applied against the Company’s net deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, due to projected losses and because it is not more likely than not that the Company will realize future benefits associated with these deferred tax assets. The Company’s policy is to recognize interest and penalties accrued on any unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense.

 

ASC 740 prescribes how a company should recognize, measure, present and disclose in its financial statements uncertain tax positions that the company has taken or expects to take on a tax return. Additionally, for tax positions to qualify for deferred tax benefit recognition under ASC 740, the position must have at least a “more likely than not” chance of being sustained upon challenge by the respective taxing authorities, which criteria is a matter of significant judgment. The Company has gross liabilities recorded of $50 and $40 for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 to account for potential state income tax exposure. 

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In August 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Presentation of Financial Statements — Going Concern: Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern”. This ASU requires management to evaluate, in connection with preparing financial statements for each annual and interim reporting period, whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued (or within one year after the date that the financial statements are available to be issued when applicable) and provide related disclosures. ASU 2014-15 is effective for the annual period ending after December 15, 2016, and for annual and interim periods thereafter. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2014-15 on its financial statements.

 

In April 2015, FASB issued ASU 2015-03 – Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. This ASU requires retrospective adoption and will be effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of 2017. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2015-03 on its financial statements.

 

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Results of Operations

 

Year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the year ended December 31, 2013

 

Revenues

 

    Years ended December 31,  
    2014     2013     Change  
                         
Revenue   $ 2     $ 19     $ (17 )

 

Revenues for the year ended December 31, 2014 were $2 a decrease of $17 from $19 from the year ended December 31, 2013. Our revenue to date has consisted of government grants and royalties on licensed patents. We have devoted substantially all of our financial resources and efforts to developing Bertilimumab, our Phase II drug candidate, for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and NanomAbs, our platform for the targeted delivery of cancer drugs, manufacturing Bertilimumab under cGMPs, conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials. We are still in the early stages of development of our product candidates, and we have not completed the development of Bertilimumab, NanomAbs or other drug candidates. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We initiated in late December 2014 a partnering process for phase III clinical trials and commercialization of AmiKet.

 

Research and development expense

 

    Years ended December 31,  
    2014     2013     Change  
                         
Research and development expense   $ 5,640     $ 3,571     $ 2,069  

 

Research and development expense increased by $2,069, or 58%, for the year ended December 31, 2014 to $5,640, compared with $3,571 for the year ended December 31, 2013. The increase in research and development expense was mainly due to an increase in outsourced manufacturing and consulting costs of $1,253, related to the commencement of our Phase II clinical trials, and an increase in stock-based compensation cost of $910.

 

Our research and development effort has been focused on the development of Bertilimumab, anti-Ferritin mAb and NanomAbs. Since our inception, we have made substantial investments in research and development. We will need to make additional investments in research and development to bring our product candidates to market.

 

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We expect that a large percentage of our future research and development expenses will be incurred in support of current and future preclinical and clinical development programs. These expenditures are subject to numerous uncertainties in timing and cost to completion. We test our product candidates in numerous preclinical studies for toxicology, safety and efficacy. We then conduct early stage clinical trials for each drug candidate. As we obtain results from clinical trials, we may elect to discontinue or delay clinical trials for certain product candidates or programs in order to focus resources on more promising product candidates or programs. Completion of clinical trials may take several years but the length of time generally varies according to the type, complexity, novelty and intended use of a drug candidate.

 

General and administrative expense

   

    Years ended December 31,  
    2014     2013     Change  
                         
General and administrative expense   $ 10,725     $ 5,448     $ 5,277  

 

General and administrative expense increased by $5,277, or 97%, for the year ended December 31, 2014 to $10,725, compared with $5,448 for the year ended December 31, 2013. The increase was primarily attributable to two items. Stock-based compensation expense increased by $2,241 or 73% to $5,295 for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to $3,054 for the year ended December 31, 2013. Additionally, professional and related fees increased by $2,272 primarily due to various legal expenses as well as an increase in accounting and consulting services.

 

Non-operating income (expense)

 

    Years ended December 31,  
    2014     2013     Change  
                         
Non-operating income (expense)   $ (7,187 )   $ 3,251     $ (10,438 )

 

Our net non-operating expenses increased $10,438 to $7,187 for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to net non-operating income of $3,251 for the year ended December 31, 2013.

 

Interest expense increased by $3,099, to $3,404 for the year ended December 31, 2014 from $305 for the year ended December 31, 2013. This is primarily due to a $2,217 charge to interest expense for the accelerated vesting of restricted stock recorded as debt issuance costs, as well as expensing of the debt discount of $670 due to the conversion of the 2014 November convertible promissory note. Derivative liability expense increased $484, primarily due to valuing the Company’s derivative liability’s related to the warrants issued in conjunction with our Series C Preferred stock and the 2014 November convertible promissory note. Warrant amendment expense increased $2,411 as compared to the prior year. Other expenses increased by $37 to $80 for the year ended December 31, 2014 from $43 from the year ended December 31, 2013, and primarily due to foreign exchange related charges.

 

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Deemed Dividends

 

We accounted for the amendment of our Preferred C Stock, classified as mezzanine equity prior to such amendment, as a modification of terms, as the additional fair value granted to investors for such modification was less than 10% of pre-amendment value of Preferred C Stock. As such, on June 23, 2014, we recognized the value of June Warrants, in the total amount of $441 as a deemed dividend. In addition, an accrued dividend liability for investors of Preferred C Stock of $256, for the year ended December 31, 2014 was recorded as a deemed dividend. Furthermore, in September 2014, our board of directors agreed to extend the expiration date of 235,333 warrants, at an exercise price of between $3.36 and $4.20 until December 31, 2015. As a result, we recorded the incremental value of $172 as a deemed dividend.

  

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

As of December 31, 2014, we had no off-balance sheet arrangements. We have no guarantees or obligations other than those, which arise, out of our ordinary business operations.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

    As of     As of        
    December 31,     December 31,        
    2014     2013     Change  
                         
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 6,767     $ 49     $ 6,718  
Working capital deficit   $ (530 )   $ (11,001 )   $ 10,471  
Notes and loans payable, current portion   $ (2,011 )   $ (1,546 )   $ (465 )

 

Our ability to continue as a “going concern” is dependent on a combination of several of the following factors: our ability to generate revenues and raise capital, the exercise in cash of warrants by holders and access to an established credit line. We have limited capital resources and our operations, since Inception, have been funded by the proceeds of equity and debt financings.  As of December 31, 2014, we had $6,767 in cash and cash equivalents. We have access to a $5,000 revolving line of credit, which we obtained from a related party in April 2014, or the Credit Line, which may become available to the Company within four weeks from an official request. If the Credit Line becomes unavailable for any reason, and we fail to raise additional capital, we may be forced to scale back or eliminate some or all of our research and development programs.

 

On October 3, 2014, we filed a “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-198647) to allow us to issue, from time to time at prices and on terms to be determined at or prior to the time of the offering, up to $75,000 of any combination of a variety of equity and debt securities, including common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, and warrants. The registration statement was declared effective on October 28, 2014. There is no assurance that financing will be available to us in a timely manner, on favorable terms, or at all. If we do not raise capital timely and successfully, do not generate revenues, warrants are not exercised or the Credit Line is not available, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”

 

On November 25, 2014, we completed an underwritten public offering of 3,450,000 units, with each unit consisting of (i) one share of the Company’s common stock, and (ii) a warrant to purchase 0.25 of a share of common stock, at a public offering price of $2.50 per unit, less underwriting discounts and commissions (the “Offering”). The warrants are exercisable for a period of three years following the issuance, at an exercise price of $3.75 per a whole share. On November 26, 2014, we completed the underwriter’s partial exercise of the over-allotment option to purchase 459,697 units in connection with the Offering. The shares of common stock and warrants were mandatorily separable immediately upon issuance.

 

The net proceeds to the Company were approximately $8,645, including the exercise of the over-allotment option and after deducting underwriting commissions and discounts and estimated expenses payable by the Company associated with the offering.

 

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On November 12, 2014, we received a $1,000 in cash proceeds resulting from a bridge financing by an investor who previously invested $2,000 in August 2014. In connection with our November 2014 Offering, the Note converted into 400,000 shares of our common stock and warrants to purchase 100,000 shares of common stock, at an exercise price of $3.75 per share. We also issued an additional 300,000 shares such that the total subscription price paid in August 2014, when divided by the total number of shares issued to such investor will result in an actual price paid per share equal to $2.50, the latest price per unit in our November 2014 underwritten offering.

 

We have historically funded our operations primarily through the sale of our securities, including sales of common stock, convertible notes, preferred stock and warrants. In March 2014, we raised $10,171 net, through the sale of 10,680 units consisting of one share of Preferred C Stock and two types of warrants. In November 2014, we raised $8,645 in net proceeds from the public offering. We anticipate that we will continue to issue equity and/or debt securities as a source of liquidity, when needed, until we generate positive cash flow to support our operations. As an alternative source of liquidity, we are exploring acquisition opportunities, which would be dilutive to our existing stockholders. In addition, we may pursue a financing. We cannot give any assurance that the necessary capital will be raised or that, if funds are raised, it will be on favorable terms. Any future sales of securities to finance our company will dilute existing stockholders' ownership. We cannot guarantee when or if we will ever generate positive cash flow.

 

We have devoted substantially all of our cash resources to research and development programs and incurred significant general and administrative expenses to enable us to finance and grow our business and operations. To date, we have not generated any significant revenues and may not generate any such revenue for a number of years, if at all. The Company has an accumulated deficit of $45,829 as of December 31, 2014 and we anticipate that we will continue to incur operating losses in the near future.

 

Working Capital

 

Our working capital deficit at December 31, 2014 amounted to $530 consisting of current assets of $6,887 and current liabilities of $7,417. This represents a positive change in working capital of $10,471 from a working capital deficit of $11,001 at December 31, 2013. The improvement is primarily the result of $10,171 raised in the March 2014 Financing, net, and $8,645 raised in the November 2014 Offering, net, offset by cash used in our business operations.

 

Current and Future Liquidity Position

 

Since our inception on July 11, 2010 (“Inception”), we incurred significant losses and expect to continue to operate at a net loss in the foreseeable future. For the year ended December 31, 2014, we incurred net losses of $23,550 and a total accumulated deficit of $45,829. Our existing cash at December 31, 2014, together with the $5,000 revolving line of credit we obtained from a related party in April 2014 is sufficient to fund our operations, anticipated capital expenditures, working capital and other financing requirements in the next twelve months. Our ability to continue as a going concern is predicated upon being able to draw down on the $5,000 revolving line of credit. If such line were not available, we will not be able to support our current level of operations for the next twelve months. We will require additional financing in order to continue at our expected level of operations. If we fail to obtain needed capital, we will be forced to delay, scale back, partner out or eliminate some or all of our research and development programs, which could result in an impairment of our intangible assets.

 

Our future capital uses and requirements depend on numerous forward-looking factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

·      progress in our research and development programs, as well as the magnitude of these programs;

·      the timing, receipt and amount of milestone and other payments, if any, from present and future collaborators, if any;

·      the ability to establish and maintain collaborative arrangements;

·      the resources, time and costs required to successfully initiate and complete its preclinical and clinical trials, obtain regulatory approvals, protect our intellectual property;

·      the timing, receipt and amount of front-end fees and milestone payments that may become payable through a license of Bertilimumab to a third party;

·      the amount of general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses;

·      the cost of preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining and enforcing patent claims; and

 

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·      the timing, receipt and amount of sales and royalties, if any, from our potential products.

 

We cannot be certain that additional funding of any kind will be available upon acceptable terms, or at all. Should we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our then-existing stockholders will likely experience further significant dilution. Our sales of equity have generally included the issuance of warrants, and if these warrants are exercised in the future, stockholders may experience significant additional dilution. We may not be able to raise additional capital through the sale of our securities, which would force us to curtail our operations. Debt financing, if available, may subject us to restrictive covenants that could limit our flexibility in conducting future business activities. Given our available cash resources, existing indebtedness and results of operations, obtaining debt financing may not be possible. To the extent that we raise additional capital through collaboration and licensing arrangements, it may be necessary for us to relinquish valuable rights to our product candidates that we might otherwise seek to develop or commercialize independently.

 

 

    Year Ended December 31,  
    2014     2013     Change  
                   
Net cash used in operating activities   $ (13,864 )   $ (3,868 )   $ (9,996 )
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities   $ 117     $ (1,132 )   $ 1,249  
Net cash provided by financing activities   $ 20,465     $ 4,954     $ 15,511  

 

Operating Activities

 

Net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2014 was $13,864 compared with net cash used in operating activities of $3,868 used in the year ended December 31, 2013. The increase in operational cash burn is primarily due to the settlement of liabilities assumed as part of the Merger, as well as repayment of accrued payments to vendors and related parties delayed up until the closing of the March 2014 Financing. In addition, compared to the year ended December 31, 2013, the post-Merger company had an increased level of operations, resulting in increased operational burn.

 

Our net cash used in operating activities could increase if we engage in future business development activities. As we expect to move towards revenue generation in the future, we expect that these amounts will be offset over time by the collection of revenues.

 

Investing Activities

 

During the year ended December 31, 2014, our net cash provided by investing activities amounted to $117 and included the acquisitions of office equipment, in the total amount of $23 offset by a decrease of $140 in our restricted cash. In the year ended December 31, 2013, net cash used in investing activities consisted primarily from the cost of investment in pre-Merger Immune Ltd. These funds were considered a part of the purchase price of the Merger.

 

We expect that net cash used in investing activities will increase should we acquire additional intellectual property, assets and invest surplus cash, according to our investment policy.

 

Financing Activities

 

During the year ended December 31, 2014, our net cash provided by financing activities included cash provided by the March 2014 Financing, the private placements in August and September of 2014, the November 2014 underwritten public offering, the November 2014 convertible promissory note, and the exercise of options and warrants totaling of $22,451, and repayment of loans the amount of $1,486. In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2013, we raised $4,368 through the issuance of shares and warrants to our investors.

 

We have historically funded our operations primarily through the sale of our securities. We anticipate issuing equity and/or debt as a source of liquidity, when needed, until we generate positive cash flow to support our operations. We cannot give any assurance that the necessary capital will be raised or that, if funds are raised, it will be on favorable terms.

 

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ITEM 7A. QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISKS

 

Not applicable .

 

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

 

See the Company’s consolidated financial statements filed with this Annual Report on Form 10-K under Item 15 below.

 

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

 

None.

 

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

  (a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Our management, with the participation and supervision of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, is responsible for our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2014. Based on this evaluation, our management concluded that as of December 31, 2014, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective at a reasonable assurance level due to the material weaknesses identified in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014 (discussed in paragraph (b) to this Item 9A), which we view as an integral part of our disclosure controls and procedures.

 

  (b) Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer and effected by the company’s board of directors, management and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

 

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· pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company;

 

· provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and

 

· provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

 

A material weakness is a significant deficiency, or combination of significant deficiencies, that results in there being more than a remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by management or employees in the normal course of performing their assigned functions.

 

The company’s management assessed the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014. Management’s assessment identified the following material weaknesses in the company’s internal control over financial reporting: lack of sufficient personnel and processes to adequately and timely process and approve certain financial transactions and significant contracts, and adequately and timely record certain complex financial transactions.

 

In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework. Because of the material weaknesses described above, management believes that, as of December 31, 2014, the company’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective based on those criteria.

 

Management has identified and began to implement certain remediatory measures, including a more rigorous and timely review of complex agreements prior to their execution, that is intended to reasonably assure management that its disclosure controls and procedures are effective and the hiring of finance personnel. These measures also include staff training, an expanded review of our outstanding agreements, and the implementation of additional entity level controls to ensure timely reviews of agreements pre- and post-execution. Remediation efforts will continue through the next several financial close cycles until such time as management is able to conclude that its remediation efforts are operating and effective.

 

  (c) Changes in Internal Controls

 

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting, identified in connection with the evaluation of such internal control that occurred during the fourth quarter of our last fiscal year that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

  

On February 28, 2015, Daniel G. Teper, our Chief Executive Officer, and Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd. terminated, effective as of January 1, 2015, Mr. Teper’s employment agreement with Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd, pursuant to which Mr. Teper was paid, among other benefits, an annual base salary of $100. In connection with the termination, Mr. Teper and Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. amended Mr. Teper’s employment agreement. Pursuant to the amendment, effective as of January 1, 2015, Mr. Teper’s annual base salary increased from $260 to $360.

 

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PART III

 

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

 

Information called for by this Item may be found in our definitive Proxy Statement in connection with our 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC under the captions “Management and Corporate Governance Matters,” “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance,” and “Code of Conduct and Ethics” is incorporated by reference in this Item 10.

 

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

 

Information called for by this Item may be found in our definitive Proxy Statement in connection with our 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC under the captions “Executive Officer and Director Compensation” and “Management and Corporate Governance” and is incorporated by reference in this Item 11.

 

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

 

Information called for by this Item may be found in our definitive Proxy Statement in connection with our 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC under the captions “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” and “Equity Compensation Plan Information” and is incorporated by reference in this Item 12.

 

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

 

Information called for by this Item may be found in our definitive Proxy Statement in connection with our 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC under the captions “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions” and “Management and Corporate Governance” and is incorporated by reference in this Item 13.

 

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

 

Information called for by this Item may be found in our definitive Proxy Statement in connection with our 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC under the caption “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” and is incorporated by reference in this Item 14.

 

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

 

(a)(1) Financial Statements. For the financial statements included in this annual report, see “Index to the Financial Statements” on page F-1.

 

(a)(2) Financial Statement Schedules. All schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or because the required information is included in the financial statements or notes thereto.

 

(a)(3) Exhibits. The list of exhibits filed as a part of this annual report is set forth on the Exhibit Index immediately preceding such exhibits and is incorporated by reference in this Item 15(a)(3).

 

(b) Exhibits . See Exhibit Index.

 

(c) Separate Financial Statements and Schedules . None.

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

   

Exhibit
Number
  Description
1.1   Underwriting Agreement, dated November 20, 2014, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. and National Securities Corporation, as representative of the several underwriters named in Schedule VI thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed November 20, 2014).
2.1   Merger Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated as of November 7, 2012, by and among EpiCept Corporation, EpiCept Israel Ltd. and Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd.; Amendment to Merger Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated as of November 27, 2012; Amendment No. 2 to Merger Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated as of February 11, 2013; Amendment No. 3 to Merger Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated as of March 14, 2013; and Amendment No. 4 to Merger Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated as of June 17, 2013; (incorporated by reference to our Definitive Proxy Statement on Form DEF 14A filed June 18, 2013).
2.2   Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of September 6, 2005, among EpiCept Corporation, Magazine Acquisition Corp. and Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Maxim Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 6, 2005).
3.1   Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 21, 2008).
3.2   Amendment to the Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 9, 2009).
3.3   Certificate of Amendment to the Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed January14, 2010).
3.4   Certificate of Amendment to the Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 21, 2013).
3.5   Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series C 8% Convertible Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed March 11, 2014).
3.6   Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series C 8% Convertible Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed June 23, 2014).
3.7   Amended and Restated Bylaws (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 18, 2010).
4.1   Form of Series A Common Stock Purchase Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 1, 2010).
4.2   Form of Series B Common Stock Purchase Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 1, 2010).
4.2   Form of Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 10, 2009).
4.3   Form of Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed June 19, 2009).
4.4   Common Stock Purchase Warrant, dated August 23, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 29, 2013).   
4.5   Form of Common Stock Purchase Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed March 11, 2014).
4.6   Form of Common Stock Purchase Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed June 23, 2014).
4.7   Form of Restated Series A Warrant and Restated Series B Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 14, 2014).
4.8   Form of Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed November 20, 2014).
10.1   Loan and Security Agreement, dated May 27, 2011, by and among MidCap Funding III, LLC, EpiCept Corporation, Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Cytovia, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 31, 2011).

 

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10.2   Consent Agreement, dated June 18, 2012, by and among MidCap Funding III, LLC, EpiCept Corporation, Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Cytovia, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed June 21, 2012).
10.3   First Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement, dated August 27, 2012, by and among MidCap Funding III, LLC, EpiCept Corporation, Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Cytovia, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 31, 2012).
10.4   Second Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement with Midcap Funding III, LLC, dated July 31, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 1, 2013).
10.5   Third Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement with Midcap Funding III, LLC, dated August 23, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 29, 2013).
10.6   Fourth Amendment, Consent and Waiver to Loan and Security Agreement by and among Immune Pharmaceutical Inc., Maxim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Cytovia, Inc. and MidCap Funding III, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed March 11, 2014).
10.8†   Amended and Restated 2005 Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 30, 2007).
10.10†   Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. 2013 Stock Ownership and Option Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to our Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed September 2, 2014).
10.14†   Form of incentive stock option granted under Amended and Restated 2005 Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.3 to our Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed September 2, 2014).
10.15†   Form of 102 capital gains stock option award agreement, granted in Israel, under Amended and Restated 2005 Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.4 to our Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed September 2, 2014).
10.11†   Employment Letter Agreement, dated June 4, 2014, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Daniel G. Teper (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed June 6, 2014).
10.12†   Employment Agreement dated as of September 1, 2011, between Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Daniel G. Teper (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed April 9, 2014).
10.13†   Amendment to Employment Agreement, dated June 23, 2014, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Daniel G. Teper (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed August 14, 2014).
10.16†   Form of Indemnification Agreement between EpiCept Corporation and each of its directors and executive officers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Registration Statement on Form S-1/A filed April 28, 2005).
10.18†   Settlement Agreement and General Release with our former Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Stephane Allard dated March 11, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed April 9, 2014).
10.19   Reset Offer, dated September 24, 2012, by and among EpiCept Corporation and the holders of warrants issued in the Securities Purchase Agreements dated February 8, 2012 and March 28, 2012. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 27, 2012).
10.20   Securities Purchase Agreement, dated March 10, 2014, by and among the Company and the Purchasers part thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed March 11, 2014).
10.21   Services Agreement, dated as of August 6, 2013, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Melini Capital Corp (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed November 19, 2013).
10.22   Option Agreement, dated as of August 10, 2013, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Melini Capital Corp (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed November 19, 2013).
10.23   Transition Service Agreement between EpiCept Corporation and Keith L. Brownlie dated August 20, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 26, 2013).

 

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10.24   Transition Service Agreement between EpiCept Corporation and Alan Dunton dated August 20, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 26, 2013).
10.25   Transition Service Agreement between EpiCept Corporation and Robert G. Savage dated August 20, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed August 26, 2013).
10.26   Cooperation Agreement, dated June 18, 2012, by and among Meda AB, EpiCept Corporation and EpiCept GmbH (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed June 21, 2012).
10.27   Consulting Services Agreement, dated as of August 10, 2013, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Jean Elie Kadouche (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed November 19, 2013) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.27 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed April 9, 2014).
10.28   Research and License Agreement dated as of April 6, 2011, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Yissum Research Development Company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.28 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed April 9, 2014).
10.29   First Amendment to the Research and License Agreement, dated September 26, 2011, between Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Yissum Research Development Company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.29 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed April 9, 2014).
10.30±   Product Sublicense Agreement dated as of December 7, 2010, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Immune Pharmaceuticals Corporation and iCo Therapeutics Incorporated (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.30 to our Amendment No. 2 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed October 3, 2013).
10.31   Assignment Agreement, dated as of March 28, 2012, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Mablife S.A.S. (f/k/a Monoclonal Antibodies Therapeutics M.A.P.) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.31 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed April 9, 2014).
10.32   Assignment Agreement Amendment, dated as of February 8, 2014, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Mablife S.A.S. (f/k/a Monoclonal Antibodies Therapeutics M.A.P.) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.32 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed April 9, 2014).
10.33   Sublicense Agreement, dated as of August 27, 1999, between Epitome Pharmaceuticals Limited (Dalhousie University) and American Pharmed Labs, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to our Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed May 3, 2005).
10.34   License Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2004, by and between Shire Biochem Inc., Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Cytovia, Inc., as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to each of Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed May 7, 2004 and May 5, 2005, respectively).
10.35   Waiver and Amendment to License Agreement, dated as of April 3, 2014, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Dalhousie University (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.35 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed April 9, 2014).
10.36   Revolving Line of Credit, dated as of April 17, 2014, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Melini Capital Corp. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 11, 2014).
10.37   Form of Amendment Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Form 8-K on Form 8-K filed August 14, 2014).
10.38*   Lease Agreement, dated as of December 30, 2014, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. and ARE-East River Science Park, LLC.
10.39†   Employment Letter Agreement dated January 21, 2015, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Gad Berdugo (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Form 8-K on Form 8-K filed January 21, 2015).
10.40  

License Agreement, dated as of December 18, 2003, by and between Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to our Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed May 3, 2005). 

10.41†*

 

First Amendment to Employment Agreement, dated February 28, 2015, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Daniel G. Teper.
10.42†*  

Termination Agreement and General Release, dated February 28, 2015, by and between Immune Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. and Daniel G. Teper.

21.1*   List of Subsidiaries of Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc.

 

67
 

 

23.1*   Consent of EisnerAmper LLP.
31.1*   Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a- 14(a) and 15(d)-14(a), adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2*   Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a- 14(a) and 15(d)-14(a), adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1**   Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2**   Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

101.INS* XBLR Instance Document
101.SCH* XBLR Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL* XBLR Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF* XBLR Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB* XBLR Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE* XBLR Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 

* Filed herewith.

** Furnished herewith.

† Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

± Confidential treatment has been granted with respect to certain portions of this exhibit.

 

68
 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

  IMMUNE PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
   
  By: /s/ Dr. Daniel G. Teper
    Dr. Daniel G. Teper
    Chief Executive Officer
    April 15, 2015

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated and on the dates indicated:

 

Signature   Title   Date
         
/s/Dr. Daniel G. Teper   Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)   April 15, 2015
Dr. Daniel G. Teper        
         
/s/ Gad Berdugo   Chief Financial Officer — Senior Vice President, Finance and   April 15, 2015
Gad Berdugo   Administration, Secretary (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)    
         
/s/ Daniel Kazado   Director   April 15, 2015
Daniel Kazado        
         
/s/ Rene Lerer   Director   April 15, 2015
Rene Lerer        
         
/s/ Dr. Cameron Durrant   Director   April 15, 2015
Dr. Cameron Durrant        
         
/s/ Elliot M. Maza   Director   April 15, 2015
Elliot M. Maza        

 

69
 

 

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

IMMUNE PHARMACEUTICALS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS    
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm   F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2014 and 2013   F-3
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the Years Ended December 31, 2014 and 2013   F-4
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2014 and 2013   F-5
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2014 and 2013   F-6
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements   F-7

 

F- 1
 

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

The Board of Directors and Stockholders

Immune Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Immune Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2014. The financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Immune Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the consolidated results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2014, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

/s/ EisnerAmper LLP

 

Iselin, New Jersey

April 15, 2015

 

F- 2
 

 

Part I. Financial Information  

Item 1. Financial Statements.

 

Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

 

    December 31,     December 31,  
    2014     2013  
ASSETS                
Current assets                
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 6,767     $ 49  
Restricted cash     21       81  
Other current assets     99       137  
Total current assets     6,887       267  
Restricted cash, net of current portion     -       80  
Property and equipment, at cost, net of $51 and $26 accumulated depreciation, as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively     41       47  
In-process research and development     27,500       27,500  
Intangible assets, net     3,415       3,607  
Security deposit     21       -  
Total assets   $ 37,864     $ 31,501  
                 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
Current liabilities                
Accounts payable   $ 1,243     $ 5,181  
Accrued expenses     4,133       3,572  
Due to related parties     30       469  
Notes and loans payable, current portion     2,011       1,546  
Deposits for future financing     -       500  
Total current liabilities     7,417       11,268  
Grants payable     469       521  
Notes and loans payable, net of current portion     1,564       3,359  
Deferred tax liability     10,870       10,870  
Total liabilities     20,320       26,018  
                 
Commitments and contingencies                
                 
Stockholders’ Equity                
Series C Preferred stock, par value $0.0001; 15,000 shares authorized, 4,320 shares available for issuance, 2,832 and 0 shares issued and outstanding, as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively     821       -  
Undesignated preferred stock, par value $0.0001; 4,985,000 shares authorized, 4,981,935 shares available for issuance, none issued and outstanding, as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively     -       -  
Common stock, $.0001 par value; authorized 225,000,000 shares; 23,975,358 and 13,276,037 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively     2       1  
Additional paid-in capital     62,550       27,761  
Accumulated deficit     (45,829 )     (22,279 )
Total stockholders’ equity     17,544       5,483  
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity   $ 37,864     $ 31,501  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

 

F- 3
 

 

Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

    For The Years Ended  
    December 31,  
    2014     2013  
             
Revenue   $ 2     $ 19  
                 
Costs and expenses:                
Research and development     5,640       3,571  
General and administrative     10,725       5,448  
Total costs and expenses     16,365       9,019  
Loss from operations     (16,363 )     (9,000 )
                 
Non-operating income (expense):                
Interest expense     (3,404 )     (305 )
Derivative liability expense     (558 )     (74 )
Warrant amendment expense     (3,145 )     (734 )
Liquidation preference granted to founder     -       (2,037 )
Gain on bargain purchase     -       6,444  
Other income (expense), net     (80 )     (43 )
Total non-operating income (expense):     (7,187 )     3,251  
Net loss before income taxes     (23,550 )     (5,749 )
Income tax expense     -       (11 )
Net loss     (23,550 )     (5,760 )
Deemed dividend     (616 )     (932 )
Dividend Series C preferred shares     (256 )     -  
Loss attributable to common stockholders   $ (24,422 )   $ (6,692 )
Basic and diluted loss per common share   $ (1.46 )   $ (0.94 )
                 
Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted     16,742,550       7,088,765  
                 
Comprehensive loss   $ (23,550 )   $ (5,760 )

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

 

F- 4
 

 

Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statement of Stockholders’ Equity

For the Years Ended December 31, 2014 and 2013

(In thousands, except share amounts)

 

                                                                Additional              
    Founders     Series A Preferred     Ordinary Shares     Series C Preferred Stock     Common Stock     Paid-In     Accumulated        
    Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     Capital     Deficit     Total  
                                                                               
Balance at December 31, 2012     4,500,000     $ 110       2,529,685     $ 71       4,806,132     $ 121       -     $ -       -     $ -     $ 15,299     $ (15,587 )   $ 14  
Issuance of ordinary shares and warrants in connection with investments, net of issuance costs of $153     -       -       -       -       1,933,417       50       -       -       -       -       4,318       -       4,368  
Issuance of ordinary shares in connection with anti-dilution provision     -       -       -       -       350,013       10       -       -       -       -       650       -       660  
Issuance of ordinary shares in connection with consulting agreement     -       -       -       -       72,917       2       -       -       -       -       123       -       125  
Issuance of shares to founder     2,250,000       58       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       1,979       -       2,037  
Deemed dividend on issuance of anti-dilution shares     -       -       -       -       525,381       13       -       -       -       -       919       (932 )     -  
Reverse merger acquisition     (6,750,000 )     (168 )     (2,529,685 )     (71 )     (7,687,860 )     (196 )     -       -       13,276,037       1       434       -       -  
Warrant amendment expense     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       734       -       734  
Stock-based compensation     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       3,305       -       3,305  
Loss for the period     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       (5,760 )     (5,760 )
Balance at December 31, 2013     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       13,276,037       1       27,761       (22,279 )     5,483  
Reclassification of warrants from liability to equity     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       10,202       -       10,202  
Issuance of shares of common stock as part of March 2014 Warrant amendment     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       224,127       -       825       -       825  
Exercise of options and warrants     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       97,292       -       251       -       251  
Issuance of shares and warrants, net of issuance costs of $1,136     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       4,505,697       1       11,028       -       11,029  
Settlement of derivative liability     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       300,000       -       750       -       750  
Conversion of convertible promissory note     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       400,000       -       1,000       -       1,000  
Conversion of Series C Preferred Stock reclassified from mezzanine to equity     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       1,209               1,209  
Reclassification of Series C Preferred Stock from mezzanine     -       -       -       -       -       -       6,512       1,887       -       -       -       -       1,887  
Conversion of Series C Preferred Stock     -       -       -       -       -       -       (3,680 )     (1,066 )     2,975,319       -       1,066       -       -  
Accrued dividend for Series C Preferred Stock     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       (256 )     -       (256 )
Acceleration of stock awards in connection with November 2014 convertible promissory note     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       866,666       -       2,217       -       2,217  
Stock-based compensation, stock awards     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       1,330,220       -       4,000       -       4,000  
Stock-based compensation, option awards     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       2,497       -       2,497  
Loss for the period     -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       (23,550 )     (23,550 )
Balance at December 31, 2014     -     $ -       -     $ -       -     $ -       2,832     $ 821       23,975,358     $ 2     $ 62,550     $ (45,829 )   $ 17,544  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

 

F- 5
 

 

Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(In thousands)

 

    For the Years Ended December 31,  
    2014     2013  
Cash flows from operating activities:                
Net loss   $ (23,550 )   $ (5,760 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:                
Depreciation and amortization     328       308  
Stock-based compensation expense, option awards     2,497       3,305  
Stock-based compensation expense, stock awards     4,000       -  
Non-cash interest expense     2,887       -  
Disposals of property and equipment     4       -  
Liquidation preferences granted to founder     -       2,037  
Issuance of common stock to consultants     -       125  
Gain on bargain purchase     -       (6,444 )
Decrease in sock buy-back liability     -       (150 )
Derivative liability expense     558       76  
Warrant amendment expense     3,145       734  
Interest amortization     45       -  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of merger:                
(Increase) decrease in other current assets     38       (20 )
(Increase) in security deposit     (21 )     -  
Increase (decrease) in accounts payable     (3,895 )     302  
Increase (decrease) in accrued expenses     591       1,182  
Increase (decrease) in due to related parties     (439 )     391  
Increase (decrease) in long term grants payable     (52 )     46  
Net cash used in operating activities     (13,864 )     (3,868 )
Cash flows from investing activities:                
Cash acquired in merger     -       292  
Investment in Pre-Merger Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc.     -       (1,598 )
Change in restricted cash     140       174  
Purchase of property and equipment     (23 )     -  
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities     117       (1,132 )
Cash flows from financing activities:                
Proceeds received from issuance of shares, net of issuance costs     11,029       4,368  
Proceeds received from exercise of options and warrants     251       -  
Issuance of short-term loan     -       123  
Proceeds received from sale of convertible note     1,000       -  
Proceeds received from March 2014 financing     10,171       -  
Repayment of loans     (1,486 )     (37 )
Proceeds received/(decrease in) deposits for future financing     (500 )     500  
Net cash provided by financing activities     20,465       4,954  
Net increase (decrease) in cash     6,718       (46 )
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year     49       95  
Cash at end of year   $ 6,767     $ 49  
                 
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:                
Cash paid for interest   $ 505     $ 173  
Cash paid for income taxes     -       7  
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash financing activities:                
Deemed dividend     616       932  
Dividend on Series C Preferred stock settled in common stock     129       -  
Conversion of Preferred C Stock reclassified from mezzanine to equity     1,209       -  
Reclassificiation of Preferred C Stock from mezzanine to equity     1,887       -  
Reclassification of warrants from liability to equity     10,202       -  
Intangible assets acquired with note payable     111       -  
Accrued dividends on Preferred C Stock     256       -  
Offset of debt in March 2014 financing (See Note 10)     329       -  
Conversion of promissory note     1,000       -  
Non-cash warrants with common stock     1,396       -  
June warrants issued for Series C Preferred stock amendment     441       -  
Fair value of assets acquired, excluding cash     -       377  
In-process research and development acquired     -       27,500  
Fair value of senior secured term loan assumed     -       4,442  
Fair value of other merger liabilities assumed     -       4,814  
Fair value of investment and related party liability assumed     -       1,598  
Fair value of deferred tax liability assumed     -       10,870  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

  

F- 6
 

  

Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

  

1.   Nature of Operations

 

Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. (formerly EpiCept Corporation) (“Immune” or the “Company”) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development and commercialization of targeted therapeutics, including mAbs nanotherapeutics and antibody drug conjugates, for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancer. The Company’s goal is to build a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and, ultimately, commercialization of novel drugs targeting inflammatory diseases and cancer. Immune’s lead product candidate, bertilimumab, is a fully human monoclonal antibody that targets eotaxin-1, a chemokine involved in eosinophilic inflammation, angiogenesis and neurogenesis. Immune is currently initiating a placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase II clinical trial with bertilimumab for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and plans to initiate a Phase II study for the treatment of bullous pemphigoid, a dermatologic auto-immune condition. Immune is also focused on the development of the NanomAbs technology platform for the treatment of cancer. The Company is seeking to partner its pain compound AmiKet, a topical cream consisting of a patented combination of amitriptyline and ketamine that is in late stage development for the treatment of peripheral neuropathies.

 

On August 25, 2013, the Company closed the merger with Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (“Immune Ltd.”). After giving effect to the acquisition and the issuance of Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. common stock to the former shareholders of Immune Ltd., the Company had 13,276,037 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, with the shareholders of Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. before August 26, 2013 (“Pre-merged Immune Inc.”) collectively owning approximately 19%, and the former Immune Ltd. stockholders owning approximately 81%, of the outstanding common stock of the Company.

 

The merger has been accounted for as a reverse acquisition with Immune Ltd. treated for accounting purposes as the acquirer. As such, the financial statements of Immune Ltd. are treated as the historical financial statements of the Company, with the results of Pre-merged Immune Inc. being included from August 25, 2013 and thereafter. For periods prior to the closing of the reverse acquisition, therefore, the discussion below relates to the historical business and operations solely of Immune Ltd. (Note 3).

 

Since the Company’s Inception on July 11, 2010 (“Inception”), the Company’s operations have been directed primarily toward developing its licensed technologies. The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on a basis which assumes that the Company will continue as a going concern and which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. The Company has devoted substantially all of its cash resources to research and development programs and general and administrative expenses, and to date it has not generated any significant revenues. Since Inception, the Company has incurred net losses each year. At December 31, 2014 the Company has an accumulated deficit of $45,829. For the year ended December 31, 2014 the Company had a loss from operations of $16,363 and cash used in operations of $13,864.

 

The Company’s ability to continue as a “going concern” is dependent on a combination of several of the following factors: the Company’s ability to generate revenues and raise capital, the “cash” exercise of warrants by holders and access to an established credit line. The Company has limited capital resources and its operations, since Inception, have been funded by the proceeds of equity and debt financings. Financing activities provided $20,465 of net cash inflows for the year ended December 31, 2014. As of December 31, 2014, the Company had $6,767 in cash and cash equivalents. Moreover, the Company has access to a $5,000 revolving line of credit, which was obtained from a related party in April 2014 (see note16) and may become available to it within four weeks from an official request.

 

Management believes existing cash at December 31, 2014 along with the $5,000 revolving line of credit the Company obtained from a related party in April 2014, which may become available to the Company within four weeks of an official request, is sufficient to fund its operations, anticipated capital expenditures, working capital and other financing requirements over the next twelve months. The Company's ability to continue as a going concern is predicated upon being able to draw down on its Credit line. If such Credit line were not available, the Company may not be able to support its current level of operations for the next 12 months. The Company may require additional financing in 2016 in order to continue at its expected level of operations. If the Company fails to obtain needed capital, the Company may be forced to delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of its research and development programs, which could result in an impairment of its intangible assets and a material adverse impact on its financial condition.

 

2.   Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation and principles of consolidation

 

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Immune and its wholly owned subsidiaries: Immune Ltd., Immune Pharmaceuticals USA Corp., Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cytovia, Inc. and EpiCept GmbH (in liquidation). All inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated.

 

F- 7
 

 

The accompanying consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and instructions to Form 10-K. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the consolidated financial position, consolidated results of operations and consolidated cash flows, for the periods indicated, have been made.

 

Use of Estimates

 

In preparing consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, management is required 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 and revenues and expenses during the reported periods. Significant estimates include impairment of long lived assets (including intangible assets and In Process R&D (“IPR&D”)), amortization of intangible assets, stock based compensation, valuation of options and warrants, derivative liability and valuation of income taxes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

Revenue is recognized relating to the Company’s collaboration agreements in accordance with the SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin, or SAB 104, “ Revenue Recognition ”. Revenue under collaborative arrangements may result from license fees, milestone payments, research and development payments and royalties.  The application of these standards involves subjective determinations and requires management to make judgments about value of the individual elements and whether they are separable from the other aspects of the contractual relationship. Management evaluates the Company’s collaboration agreements to determine units of accounting for revenue recognition purposes. For collaborations containing a single unit of accounting, the Company recognizes revenue when the fee is fixed or determinable, collectability is assured and the contractual obligations have occurred or been rendered. For collaborations involving multiple elements, the Company’s application requires management to make judgments about value of the individual elements and whether they are separable from the other aspects of the contractual relationship. To date, management has determined that the upfront non-refundable license fees cannot be separated from the Company’s ongoing collaborative research and development activities to the extent such activities are required under the agreement and, accordingly, do not treat them as a separate element. The Company recognizes revenue from non-refundable, up-front licenses and related payments, not specifically tied to a separate earnings process ratably over either the development period in which the Company is obligated to participate on a continuing and substantial basis in the research and development activities outlined in the contract or the later of (1) the conclusion of the royalty term on a jurisdiction by jurisdiction basis; and (2) the expiration of the last licensed patent.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

The Company considers investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Restricted cash primarily represents cash not available for immediate and general use by the Company. The Company maintains cash and cash equivalents with certain major financial institutions in the U.S. and Israel. At certain times during the year cash may exceed federally insured limits.

 

Intangible Assets

 

The Company accounts for the purchases of intangible assets in accordance with the provisions of Accounting Standards Classification (“ASC”) 350, Intangibles. Intangible assets are recognized based on their acquisition cost. The assets will be tested for impairment at least once annually, if determined to have an indefinite life, or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may no longer be recoverable. If any of the Company’s intangible or long-lived assets are considered to be impaired, the amount of impairment to be recognized is the excess of the carrying amount of the assets over its fair value. Applicable long-lived assets, including intangible assets with definitive lives, are amortized or depreciated over the shorter of their estimated useful lives, the estimated period that the assets will generate revenue, or the statutory or contractual term in the case of patents on a straight line basis. Estimates of useful lives and periods of expected revenue generation are reviewed periodically for appropriateness and are based upon management’s judgment.

 

Property and Equipment

 

Property and equipment are carried at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is provided principally by use of the straight-line method over the useful lives of the related assets, except for leasehold improvements, which are depreciated over the terms of their related leases or their estimated useful lives, whichever is less. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs, which do not improve or extend the expected useful life of the assets, are expensed to operations while major repairs are capitalized.

 

F- 8
 

 

      Method     Estimated Useful
Life (Years)
             
Computers and accessories     Straight-line     3 - 5
Equipment     Straight-line     3 - 5
Furniture and fixtures     Straight-line     3 - 7

 

In-Process Research and Development

 

IPR&D represents the estimated fair value assigned to research and development projects acquired in a purchased business combination that have not been completed at the date of acquisition and which have no alternative future use.  IPR&D assets acquired in a business combination are capitalized as indefinite-lived intangible assets. These assets remain indefinite-lived until the completion or abandonment of the associated research and development efforts. During the period prior to completion or abandonment, those acquired indefinite-lived assets are not amortized but are tested for impairment annually, or more frequently, if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired.

 

As part of the Merger, the Company acquired the drug candidate AmiKet, and valued the asset at $27,500 as of the acquisition date. The Company periodically performs an analysis to determine whether the carrying value of the asset has been impaired based on facts and circumstances in existence as of that date. The Company completed an impairment analysis, which was triggered by the publication of certain results of a third party trial of AmiKet in chemotherapy induced neuropathic pain (CIPN), which concluded that the drug candidate was not statistically effective on certain clinical end points. The Company determined that no impairment had occurred. The Company does not expect the results of this trial to have a future impact on the carrying value of this asset, since no other neuropathic pain drug has been approved for CIPN and other AmiKet trials have shown efficacy and safety, competitive with market leaders, particularly in post-herpetic neuralgia, which the Company sees as the lead indication for Phase III clinical development and for potential regulatory approval. This determination is supported by the anticipated period of market exclusivity for which the drug will be eligible if approved as a designated orphan drug, the encouraging Phase II clinical trials in that indication, the anticipated success of Phase III clinical trials, as well as the expected commercial positioning of AmiKet if it is approved. The Company completed an impairment analysis and determined the current carrying value of IPR&D continues to be supported.

 

Segment Information

 

The Company operates in one reportable segment: acquiring, developing and commercializing prescription drug products. Accordingly, the Company reports the accompanying consolidated financial statements in the aggregate, including all of its activities in one reportable segment. As of December 31, 2014, approximately 7% of the Company's assets were located outside of the United States.

 

Research and Development

 

Research and development expenses consist primarily of the cost of the Company’s development and operations personnel, the cost of its clinical trials, manufacturing costs, as well as the cost of outsourced services.

 

Translation into U.S. dollars

 

The Company’s functional currency is the U.S. dollar. The Company conducts certain transactions in foreign currencies, which are recorded at the exchange rate as of the transaction date. All exchange gains and losses from re-measurement of monetary balance sheet items denominated in non-dollar currencies are reflected as non-operating income or expense in the statement of operations, as they arise.

 

Derivatives

 

The Company accounts for its derivative instruments in accordance with ASC 815 “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC 815”). ASC 815 establishes accounting and reporting standards requiring that derivative instruments, including derivative instruments embedded in other contracts, be recorded on the balance sheet as either an asset or liability measured at its fair value. ASC 815 also requires that changes in the fair value of derivative instruments be recognized currently in results of operations unless specific hedge accounting criteria are met. The Company has not entered into hedging activities to date. The Company recognizes all derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets at their respective fair values. The Company's derivative instruments (as described in Notes 2 and 10), include its March 2014 Warrants and November 2014 convertible promissory note side letter, all of which have been recorded as a liability at fair value, and were revalued at each measurement date until extinguishment of the liability, with changes in the fair value of the instruments included in the consolidated statements of operations as non-operating income (expense).

 

F- 9
 

Stock-based Compensation

 

The Company recognizes compensation expense for all equity-based payments. Stock based compensation issued to employees is accounted for under ASC 718, Compensation– Share Compensation (“ASC 718”). The Company utilizes the Black-Scholes valuation method to recognize compensation expense over the vesting period. Certain assumptions need to be made with respect to utilizing the Black-Scholes valuation model, including the expected life, volatility, risk-free interest rate and anticipated forfeiture of the stock options. The expected life of the stock options was calculated using the method allowed by the provisions of ASC 718. The risk-free interest rate is based on the rates paid on securities issued by the U.S. Treasury with a term approximating the expected life of the options. As the Company does not have an adequate length of trading history for the Company’s common stock, and there have been significant changes to the business since the Merger, the expected stock price volatility for the Company’s common stock was estimated by taking the average historical price volatility for industry peers combined with the Company’s historical data based on daily price observations. Estimates of pre-vesting option forfeitures are based on the Company’s experience. The Company will adjust its estimate of forfeitures over the requisite service period based on the extent to which actual forfeitures differ, or are expected to differ, from such estimates. Changes in estimated forfeitures will be recognized through a cumulative catch-up adjustment in the period of change and will also impact the amount of compensation expense to be recognized in future periods.

 

The Company accounts for stock-based transactions with non-employees in which services are received in exchange for equity instruments based upon the fair value of the equity instruments issued, in accordance with ASC 505-50, Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees. The two factors that most affect charges or credits to operations related to stock-based compensation are the estimated fair market value of the common stock underlying stock options for which stock-based compensation is recorded and the estimated volatility of such fair market value. The value of such options is quarterly re-measured until performance is complete and income or expense is recognized during the vesting terms.

 

Accounting for stock-based compensation granted by the Company requires fair value estimates of the equity instrument granted or sold. If the Company’s estimate of the fair value of stock-based compensation is too high or too low, it will have the effect of overstating or understating expenses. When stock-based grants are granted in exchange for the receipt of goods or services, the Company estimates the value of the stock-based compensation based upon the value of its common stock.

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740 “Income Taxes”. The Company is required to file income tax returns in the appropriate U.S. federal, state and local jurisdictions, including Boston, Massachusetts, New York State and City, Israel and Germany. All of the tax years from Inception to date are still open for the Company and its subsidiaries.

 

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Under the asset and liability method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized based upon the differences arising from carrying amounts of the Company’s assets and liabilities for tax and financial reporting purposes using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect on the deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the period when the change in tax rates is enacted. A valuation allowance is established when it is determined that it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. A full valuation allowance has been applied against the Company’s net deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, due to projected losses and because it is not more likely than not that the Company will realize future benefits associated with these deferred tax assets. The Company’s policy is to recognize interest and penalties accrued on any unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense. ASC 740 prescribes how a company should recognize, measure, present and disclose in its financial statements uncertain tax positions that the company has taken or expects to take on a tax return. Additionally, for tax positions to qualify for deferred tax benefit recognition under ASC 740, the position must have at least a “more likely than not” chance of being sustained upon challenge by the respective taxing authorities, which criteria is a matter of significant judgment. The Company has gross liabilities recorded of $50 and $40 for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, to account for potential state income tax exposure.

 

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

 

In August 2014, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Presentation of Financial Statements — Going Concern: Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern”. This ASU requires management to evaluate, in connection with preparing financial statements for each annual and interim reporting period, whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued (or within one year after the date that the financial statements are available to be issued when applicable) and provide related disclosures. ASU 2014-15 is effective for the annual period ending after December 15, 2016, and for annual and interim periods thereafter. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2014-15 on its financial statements.

 

In April 2015, FASB issued ASU 2015-03 – Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. This ASU requires retrospective adoption and will be effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of 2017. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2015-03 on its financial statements.

 

F- 10
 

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

The Company measures fair value in accordance with ASC 820, "Fair Value Measurements". ASC 820 clarifies that fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or a liability. As a basis for considering such assumptions, ASC 820 establishes a three-tier value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in the valuation methodologies in measuring fair value:

 

· Level 1 Inputs : Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities accessible to the reporting entity at the measurement date.

 

· Level 2 Inputs : Other than quoted prices included in Level 1 inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

 

· Level 3 Inputs : Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not available, thereby allowing for situations in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at measurement date. The fair value hierarchy also requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.

 

The Company measures its derivative liabilities at fair value. Until its amendment, on August 13, 2014, the derivative warrants were classified within Level 3 because they were valued using the Monte-Carlo model (as these warrants include down-round protection clauses), which utilize significant inputs that are unobservable in the market (see Note 10).

 

At December 31, 2014 and 2013, there were no assets or liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis.

 

The financial instruments recorded in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and accounts payable. The carrying amounts of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents and accounts payable approximate fair value due to their short-term nature. The fair value of the Company’s notes and loans payable are not materially different from their carrying value due to variability of the interest rate.

 

The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s liabilities measured at fair value using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014:

 

    Level 3  
Balance at January 1, 2013   $ 586  
Fair value adjustment, included in statement of operations     74  
Issuance of ordinary shares in connection with anti-dilution protection     (660 )
Balance at December 31, 2013   $ -  
Derivative warrants issued to investors in connection with the March 2014 Financing     7,404  
Reclassification into additional paid in capital due to Amendment Agreement (see Note 9)     (7,882 )
Derivative issued in connection with convertible promissory note     670  
Settlement of derivative liability of convertible promissory note     (750 )
Fair value adjustment at reclassification, included in statement of operations     558  
Balance at December 31, 2014   $ -  

 

Valuation processes for Level 3 Fair Value Measurements

 

Fair value measurements of the derivative warrant liability fall within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. The fair value measurements are evaluated by management to ensure that changes are consistent with expectations of management based upon the sensitivity and nature of the inputs. The table below outlines the key inputs in valuing the March 2014 derivative warrant liability.

 

F- 11
 

 

Unobservable inputs   As of March 10, 2014     As of August 13, 2014 (Restated
Warrant Date)
 
Volatility     82.90 %     74.8 %
Risk free interest rate     0.40% - 0.60 %     0.46% - 0.52 %
Expected term, in years     2.50       2.03-2.08  
Dividend yield     0 %     0 %
Probability and timing of down-round triggering event     63.5% for on August 1, 2014; 33.5% for on October 1, 2014; and 3% for every six months from September 10, 2014       63.5% for on September 1, 2014; 33.5% for on October 1, 2014; and 3% for every six months from September 10, 2014  
Stock Price   $ 3.04     $ 4.11  

 

During November 2014, the Company issued a convertible promissory note and side letter to an existing investor (See Note 10). As a result of this transaction the Company recognized a derivative liability of $670. The initial fair value was determined by calculating the probability and timing of future scenarios. Unobservable inputs included 100% of the Volume Weighted Average Price (“VWAP”) over a set period of time as well as 5% discount off VWAP over the same period of time. On November 20, 2014, the date the derivative liability was extinguished (See Note 10), the Company used the known closing price of the financing of $2.50 per share to calculate fair value on that date and recognized an increase in the derivative liability of $80 which was recorded in the Statement of Operations.

 

Sensitivity of Level 3 measurements to changes in significant unobservable inputs

 

The inputs to estimate the fair value of the Company’s derivative liability related to the March 2014 Warrant include: for day-one valuation, the Company used the average common stock market price for the period from December 30, 2013 through March 10, 2014. For the valuation at August 13, 2014 (restated warrant date), the Company used the closing sale price of the Company’s shares of common stock on that day. The conversion price of the Preferred C Stock, its expected remaining term, the estimated volatility of the Company’s common stock market price, the Company’s estimates regarding the probability and timing of a down-round protection triggering event and the risk-free interest rate.

 

The inputs to estimate the fair value of the Company’s derivative liability on account of the issuance of the convertible promissory note and related side letter include: for day-one valuation, the Company used an average VWAP of the Company’s shares of common stock over a set period of time prior to the transaction. For the valuation date at November 20, 2014 (date of public offering), the Company used the sale price of the Company’s shares of common stock in the offering.

 

 Significant changes in any of those inputs in isolation can result in a significant change in the fair value measurement. Generally, a positive change in the market price of the Company’s shares of common stock, and an increase in the volatility of the Company’s shares of common stock, or an increase in the remaining term of the warrant, or an increase of a probability of a down-round triggering event would each result in a directionally similar change in the estimated fair value of the Company’s warrants and thus an increase in the associated liability and vice-versa. An increase in the risk-free interest rate or a decrease in the positive differential between the warrant’s exercise price and the market price of the Company’s shares of common stock would result in a decrease in the estimated fair value measurement of the warrants and thus a decrease in the associated liability. The Company has not, nor plans to, declare dividends on its shares of common stock, and thus, there is no change in the estimated fair value of the warrants due to the dividend assumption. Subsequent to the Amendment Agreement, as described in Note 9, and the public offering as described in Note 10, no further revaluation is required.

 

3.   Reverse Merger

 

Description of Transaction

 

On August 25, 2013, the Company closed its definitive Merger Agreement and Plan of Reorganization with Immune Ltd., an Israel-based biopharmaceutical company with its lead product candidate, Bertilimumab, which is a fully human monoclonal antibody that targets eotaxin-1, a chemokine involved in eosinophilic inflammation, angiogenesis and neurogenesis and NanomAbs® technology to treat unmet medical needs in the areas of inflammatory diseases and oncology. The assets and liabilities of the Company were recorded as of the acquisition date at their estimated fair values. As the Merger is treated as a reverse merger with Immune Ltd. being the acquirer, the reported consolidated financial condition and results of operations of Immune after the completion of the Merger reflect these values, but is not being restated retroactively to reflect historical consolidated financial position or results of operations of pre-Merger Immune. The transaction qualifies as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

In connection with the Merger, the Company issued 10,490,090 shares of its common stock to Immune Ltd. stockholders in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding shares of Immune Ltd., with the pre-Merger Immune Inc. stockholders retaining approximately 19% ownership and Immune Ltd. stockholders receiving approximately 81% of the outstanding common stock of the Company, calculated on an adjusted, fully diluted basis, with certain exceptions. All outstanding Immune Ltd. options and warrants were also exchanged for warrants and options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock. The exchange ratio, and consequently, the proportionate ownership of the Company, was subject to adjustment and did not include (i) the exercise or conversion of certain out-of-the-money Company options and warrants, (ii) ordinary shares and common stock (including common stock issued upon the conversion of certain securities) issued in connection with a proposed private placement of securities conducted by either Immune Ltd., the Company or both, (iii) loans made between the parties or (iv) the purchase of the Company’s common stock by Immune Ltd. prior to the closing of the Merger with the use of a portion of the proceeds from such private placement of securities and in lieu of a certain loan to the Company, each as contemplated and more fully described in the Merger Agreement.

 

F- 12
 

 

Acquisition Accounting in Accordance with ASC 805

 

The consolidated financial statements have been presented in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations (“ASC 805”) . Under ASC 805, the acquired in-process research and development, with a fair value estimated at $27,500 at August 25, 2013, was measured at fair value as of the date of the transaction and recorded as an indefinite-lived asset on the balance sheet and will be reviewed for impairment. If the related development is completed, the acquired intangible asset will be considered a finite-lived asset and amortized into the statement of operations. Until development is completed, the acquired in-process research and development is considered an indefinite-lived asset. If the related development is abandoned or the asset is otherwise impaired, the carrying value of the asset will be reduced or written off.

 

The acquisition consideration and its allocation are in part based upon management’s valuation, as described below.

 

Cash and cash equivalents and other tangible assets and liabilities: The tangible assets and liabilities were valued at their respective carrying amounts, except for adjustments to certain property and equipment, deferred revenue, deferred rent, facility exit charges and other liabilities, as the Company believe that these amounts approximate their current fair values.

 

In-process research and development represents incomplete research and development projects, directly related to the AmiKet TM license agreement. The Company estimated that $27,500 of the acquisition consideration represents the fair value of purchased in-process research and development related to projects associated with the AmiKet TM license agreement.

 

Management estimated that the AmiKet TM product candidate had an overall fair value of $91,700. The fair value was determined using an income approach, as well as discussions with the Company’s management and a review of certain program-related documents and forecasts prepared by the Company’s management. The income approach, a valuation method that establishes the business value based on a stream of future economic benefits, such as net cash flows, discounted to their present value, included probability adjustments to project expenses and revenue in order to reflect the expected probabilities of incurring development cost prior to commercialization and the probability of achieving commercial revenue due to drug discovery and regulatory risks. The rate utilized to discount probability adjusted net cash flows to their present values was 30%, and reflect the time value of money and risks of commercialization, sales, and competition, which are risk elements explicitly not addressed in the probability adjustments. As the development of these projects is also dependent upon future conditions, specifically the ability to raise substantial capital, it was estimated that the Company would only retain approximately 30% of the fair value of AmiKet TM with the majority of the value being relinquished as a condition of raising capital. Therefore, the fair value of the asset recorded in the consolidated financial statements has been reduced to $27,500. The Company periodically performs an analysis to determine whether an impairment of the asset has occurred. The Company’s most recent impairment analysis determined that no change in the carrying value was required. Refer to Note 2.

 

In connection with the IPR&D value determined in connection with the Merger, the Company accrued a deferred tax liability of approximately $10,870 representing the potential tax liability upon realization of the value of the IPR&D. The amount of the accrued deferred tax liability will be impacted upon any future change in the carrying value of the IPR&D.

 

The determination of the acquisition consideration allocation has been based on the fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the date the Merger was consummated. Based on the purchase price allocation, the following table summarizes the fair value amounts of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of acquisition:

 

F- 13
 

 

    Amount  
Acquisition consideration allocation:        
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 292  
Restricted cash     252  
Other current assets     96  
Property and equipment     29  
In-process research and development     27,500  
Accounts payable     (3,078 )
Accrued liabilities     (1,737 )
Loan payable     (4,442 )
Deferred tax liability     (10,870 )
Gain on bargain purchase     (6,444 )
Total acquisition consideration   $ 1,598  

 

The total acquisition consideration consisted of the Company’s equity investment in pre-merger Immune Inc. and loans between the parties forgiven in the merger (see Note 5).

 

In accordance with ASC 805, any excess of fair value of acquired net assets over the acquisition consideration results in a gain on bargain purchase. Prior to recording a gain, the acquiring entity shall reassess whether all acquired assets and assumed liabilities have been identified and recognized and perform re-measurements to verify that the consideration paid, assets acquired, and liabilities assumed have been properly valued. The Company recorded a gain on bargain purchase of $6,444 during the year ended December 31, 2013. 

 

4.  License Agreements

 

iCo Therapeutics Inc. (“iCo”)

 

In December 2010, iCo granted Immune Ltd. an option to sub-license the use of Bertilimumab from iCo, which obtained certain exclusive license rights to intellectual property relating to Bertilimumab pursuant to a license agreement with Cambridge Antibody Technology Group Plc, and to which Immune became a party. In June 2011, Immune exercised its option and obtained a worldwide license from iCo for the use and development of Bertilimumab for all human indications, other than ocular indications, pursuant to a product sub-license agreement. iCo retained the worldwide exclusive right to the use of Bertilimumab for all ocular applications. Under the agreement, Immune Ltd. paid an initial consideration of $1,700 comprised of (i) $500 in cash, (ii) 600,000 ordinary shares, which were valued at approximately $1,000 (or $1.72 per share) and (iii) 200,000 warrants, which were valued at approximately $200 (or $0.95 per warrant). In addition to this consideration, iCo received anti-dilution rights equal to 6.14% of the Company’s issued and outstanding share capital on a fully diluted basis. iCo will be subject to dilution up to 2.5% (on a fully diluted and as converted basis) upon, and at any time following, any future issuance of securities in connection with a financing made at a Company pre-money valuation that is higher than $30,000. This right was to lapse upon the earlier of: the consummation of an initial public offering involving the listing of the Company's shares on an internationally-recognized stock exchange, or a Deemed Liquidation event, as defined in the Immune Ltd.’s Amended and Restated Articles of Association. The Company believes that the Merger qualified as a Deemed Liquidation event, therefore the anti-dilution rights have lapsed. Upon initial valuation, anti-dilution shares were determined to be a derivative liability with a fair value of approximately $800. Both at December 31, 2014 and 2013, the derivative liability was $0. During the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, a total expense of $0 and $74, was charged to the statements of operations, respectively. As of December 31, 2014, after giving effect to the Merger, iCo holds 654,486 shares of common stock and 123,649 warrants of the Company.

 

iCo may receive from Immune up to $32,000 in milestone payments plus royalties. These milestones include the first dosing in a Phase III clinical trial, filing a Biologics License Application/Marketing Authorization Application, or a BLA/MMA, approval of a BLA/MAA and the achievement of $100,000 in aggregate sales of licensed products. The term of the license lasts until the expiration of all payment obligations on a country-by-country basis, at which point the license will be deemed fully paid, perpetual and irrevocable with respect to that country. As of December 31, 2014, no milestones requiring payments have been reached.

 

F- 14
 

 

Yissum Research Development Company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ltd. (“Yissum”)

 

In April 2011, Yissum granted Immune Ltd. a license that includes patents, research results and know-how related to the NanomAbs technology. Yissum granted Immune an exclusive license, with a right to sub-license, to make commercial use of the licensed technology in order to develop, manufacture, market, distribute or sell products derived from the license. Immune Ltd. paid consideration of 800,000 ordinary shares, which were valued at approximately $700 (or $0.87 per share). Under the license agreement, as amended on September 2011, Immune is required to pay the following: (i) royalties in the amount of up to 4.5% of net sales; (ii) from the sixth year onwards, an annual license maintenance fee between $30 for the first year and up to a maximum of $100 from the first year through the sixth year; (iii) research fees of $400 for the first year and $400 for the second year (but, not to exceed $1,800 in the aggregate); (iv) milestone payments up to approximately $8,600 (based on the attainment of certain milestones, including an Investigational New Drug Application submission, patient enrollment in clinical trials, regulatory approval and commercial sales); and (v) sub-license fees in amounts up to 18% of any sub-license consideration. The license expires, on a country-by-country basis, upon the later of the expiration of (i) the last valid licensed patent, (ii) any exclusivity granted by a governmental or regulatory body on any product developed through the use of the licensed technology or (iii) the 15-year period commencing on the date of the first commercial sale of any product developed through the use of the licensed technology. Upon the expiration of the license, Immune will have a fully paid, non-exclusive license to the licensed technology. As of December 31, 2014, no milestones requiring payments have been reached and no amounts are due under this license agreement.

 

MabLife SAS (“MabLife”)

 

In March 2012, Immune Ltd. acquired from MabLife, through an assignment agreement, all rights, titles and interests in and to the patent rights, technology and deliverables related to the anti-Ferritin mAb, AMB8LK, including its nucleotide and protein sequences, its ability to recognize human acid and basic ferritins, or a part of its ability to recognize human acid and basic ferritins. The Company paid consideration of $60 upfront and remaining payments are due over five years (see Note 9). In addition, in February 2014, the Company acquired all rights to the secondary patent rights related to the use of anti-ferritin monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of some cancers, Nucleotide and protein sequences of an antibody directed against an epitope common to human acidic and basic ferritins, monoclonal antibodies or antibody-like molecules comprising these sequences for $111. See also Note 6 and 9.

 

Jean Kadouche, Immune Pharma (Techologies SAS) and Alan Razafindrastita (“Kadouche”)

 

In March 2011, Jean Kadouche, a related party (see Note 15), sold, assigned and transferred to Immune the entire right, title and interest for all countries, in and to any and all patents and inventions related to mice producing human antibodies and a method of preparation of human antibodies, collectively, the Human Antibody Production Technology Platform. Immune Ltd paid Mr. Kadouche a total consideration of: (i) $20 in cash, and (ii) 800,000 ordinary shares of Immune Ltd, which were valued at approximately $700. Through the Human Antibody Production Technology Platform and additional laboratory work, human immune systems and specific cell lines are introduced in mice, enabling them to produce human mAbs.

 

Lonza Sales AG (“Lonza”)

 

On May 2, 2012, Lonza granted Immune a sub-licensable, non-exclusive worldwide license under certain know-how and patent rights to use, develop, manufacture, market, sell, offer, distribute, import and export Bertilimumab, as it is produced through the use of Lonza’s system of cell lines, vectors and know-how. If Lonza is to manufacture Bertilimumab, the Company is required to pay Lonza a royalty of 1% of the net selling price of the commercial product but no annual license fee as described below. If Immune or one of its strategic partners manufactures Bertilimumab, Immune is required to pay Lonza approximately $114 (or £75) annually during the course of the license agreement (first payable upon commencement of Phase II clinical trials) plus a royalty of 1.5% of the net selling price of the product, and if any other party manufactures the Bertilimumab, Immune is required to pay Lonza approximately $500 (or £300), or, per sublicense annually during the duration of such sublicense plus a royalty of 2% of the net selling price of the product. In addition, Immune is required to pay Lonza approximately $3 (or £2) or, for the supply of certain cell lines, if it uses such cell lines. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Immune is not obligated to manufacture Bertilimumab through the use of Lonza’s system. The royalties are subject to a 50% reduction based on the lack of certain patent protections, including the expiration of patents, on a country-by-country basis. Unless earlier terminated (including, but not limited to, the reasons set forth below), the license agreement continues until the expiration of the last enforceable valid claim to the licensed patent rights, which began to expire in 2014 and will continue to expire between 2015 and 2016. As of December 31, 2014, no amounts were due under the license agreement.

 

Dalhousie University (“Dalhousie”)

 

In connection with the Merger, the Company maintains a direct license agreement with Dalhousie University under which the Company has an exclusive license to certain patents for the topical use of tricyclic anti-depressants and NMDA antagonists as topical analgesics for neuralgia. These, and other patents, cover the combination treatment consisting of amitriptyline and ketamine in AmiKet.

 

F- 15
 

 

The Company has been granted worldwide rights to make, use, develop, sell and market products utilizing the licensed technology in connection with passive dermal applications. The Company is obligated to make payments to Dalhousie upon achievement of specified milestones and to pay royalties based on annual net sales derived from the products incorporating the licensed technology. The Company is further obligated to pay Dalhousie an annual maintenance fee until the license agreement expires or is terminated, or a New Drug Application for AmiKet is filed with the FDA, or Dalhousie will have the option to terminate the contract. The license agreement with Dalhousie terminates upon the expiration of the last to expire licensed patent. On April 3, 2014, the Company entered into a Waiver and Amendment to the license agreement pursuant to which Dalhousie agreed to irrevocably waive the Company’s obligation to pay the $500 maintenance fee that was due on August 27, 2012 and August 27, 2013 and in any subsequent year. In addition, the Company has agreed to pay Dalhousie royalties of five percent (5%) of net sales of licensed technology in countries in which patent coverage is available and three percent (3%) of net sales in countries in which data protection is available. The parties have also agreed to amend the timing and increase the amounts of the milestone payments payable under the license agreement. As of December 31, 2014, no amounts were due to Dalhousie. Additional milestones payments will become due upon sub licensing and receipt of certain approvals, none of which was yet met.

 

Shire BioChem (“Shire”)

 

In connection with the Merger, the Company acquired a license agreement for the rights to the MX2105 series of apoptosis inducer anti-cancer compounds from Shire BioChem, Inc (formerly known as BioChem Pharma, Inc.). The Company is required to provide Shire BioChem a portion of any sublicensing payments the Company receives, if the Company relicenses the series of compounds or make milestone payments to Shire BioChem totaling up to $26,000 assuming the successful commercialization of the compounds by the Company for the treatment of a cancer indication, as well as pay a royalty on product sales. As of December 31, 2014, no amounts were due to Shire.

   

5.  Investments

 

Immune Ltd. purchased 3,846,154 shares of Pre-merged Immune Inc.’s common stock at a price of $0.13 per share, or $0.5 million, during 2013. These shares were not registered and were carried on the balance sheet at cost. These shares were purchased in contemplation of the Merger Agreement and were treated as a component of the consideration upon consummation of the merger (see Note 3).

 

The Company was a party to a related party loan pursuant to the merger agreement with Immune Ltd. The Company borrowed approximately $1.1 million from Immune Ltd. during 2013. The loan was bearing interest at a rate of 3.27%, which equates to an immaterial amount of interest expense through August 25, 2013. The loan was eliminated in consolidation upon the closing of the merger with Immune Ltd. on August 25, 2013 (see Note 3).

 

6.   Intangible Assets

 

The value of the Company’s intangible assets including gross asset value and carrying value is summarized below:

 

                Human     Anti-ferritin        
    Bertilimumab     NanomAbs     Antibodies     Antibody        
    iCo     Yissum     Kadouche     MabLife     Total  
Balance as of December 31, 2012   $ 2,254     $ 613     $ 615     $ 414     $ 3,896  
Amortization     (167 )     (46 )     (47 )     (29 )     (289 )
Balance, December 31, 2013     2,087       567       568       385       3,607  
Additions (see Note 9 (3))     -       -       -       111       111  
Amortization     (167 )     (46 )     (47 )     (43 )     (303 )
Balance, December 31, 2014   $ 1,920     $ 521     $ 521     $ 453     $ 3,415  
                                         
Gross asset value   $ 2,509     $ 694     $ 700     $ 547     $ 4,450  
Accumulated amortization     (589 )     (173 )     (179 )     (94 )     (1,035 )
Carrying value December 31, 2014   $ 1,920     $ 521     $ 521     $ 453     $ 3,415  

 

See Note 4 for a discussion of specific rights acquired in connection with the purchase of each intangible asset.

 

F- 16
 

 

The Company’s intangibles above were determined by management to have a useful life between 7 and 15 years. Amortization expense amounted to approximately $303 and $289 for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

Estimated amortization expense for each of the five succeeding years, based upon intangible assets owned at December 31, 2014 is as follows:

 

Period Ending December 31,   Amount  
2015   $ 305  
2016     305  
2017     305  
2018     305  
2019     305  
2020 and thereafter     1,890  
Total   $ 3,415  

 

7.  Property and Equipment

 

Property and equipment consist of the following:

 

    December 31,  
    2014     2013  
Computers and accessories   $ 16     $ 13  
Equipment     17       22  
Furniture and fixtures     59       38  
      92       73  
Less accumulated depreciation     (51 )     (26 )
    $ 41     $ 47  

 

Depreciation expense amounted to $25 and $7 for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

  

8.  Accrued Expenses

 

Accrued expenses consist of the following: 

 

    December 31,     December 31,  
    2014     2013  
Professional fees   $ 1,934     $ 1,980  
Franchise taxes payable     36       175  
Salaries and employee benefits     488       505  
Rent     631       631  
Financing costs     287       265  
Accrued dividend for Series C Preferred Stock     256       -  
Provision for a claim (see Note 13)     300       -  
Other     201       16  
Total   $ 4,133     $ 3,572  

 

F- 17
 

 

9.  Notes and Loans Payable

 

The Company is party to loan agreements as follows:

 

    December 31,     December 31,  
    2014     2013  
Senior secured term loan (1)   $ 3,166     $ 4,442  
Loan payable     -       50  
Note payable (2) (3)     409       376  
Short term loan     -       37  
Total notes and loans payable   $ 3,575     $ 4,905  
                 
Notes and loans payable, current portion   $ 2,011     $ 1,546  
Notes and loans payable, long-term     1,564       3,359  
    $ 3,575     $ 4,905  

 

 

Repayments under the Company’s existing debt agreements consist of the following:

 

Period Ending December 31,   Amount  
2015   $ 2,011  
2016     1,393  
2017     135  
2018     16  
2019     20  
Total   $ 3,575  

 

(1) In connection with the Merger, the Company assumed a senior secured term loan, collateralized by substantially all assets of the Company, from MidCap Financial (“MidCap”). In August 2013, the Company and MidCap entered into a Third Amendment and Consent to Loan and Security Agreement between the Company, its subsidiaries, and MidCap (“Third Amendment”).

 

The credit facility contains customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of default applicable to the Company. The affirmative covenants include, among others, covenants requiring the Company to maintain our legal existence and governmental approvals, deliver certain financial reports and maintain insurance coverage. The negative covenants include, among others, restrictions on the Company transferring collateral, incurring additional indebtedness, engaging in mergers or acquisitions, paying dividends or making other distributions, making investments, creating liens, selling assets, and suffering a change in control, in each case subject to certain exceptions.

 

The Third Amendment restructured the Company's loan in connection with the completed Merger. In addition to providing MidCap’s consent to the Merger, the amendment fixed the outstanding principal balance of the initial borrowing (“Tranche 1”) of the loan at $4,442. Principal repayments on the Tranche 1 amount was set to commence on December 1, 2013 and was later amended under the Fourth Amendment to commence on May 1, 2014. Principal repayments became due in approximately equal monthly installments commencing on the first repayment date. The scheduled maturity date of the loan is August 1, 2016.

 

The Third Amendment also provided availability for a second borrowing (“Tranche 2”) of $1,000, which was to be available for drawing by the Company through August 1, 2014, at the Company’s discretion. The Company did not draw amounts under Tranche 2. Interest on the Tranche 1 loan will accrue at the rate of 11.5% per annum and be paid monthly in arrears.

 

As part of the Third Amendment, in consideration for the restructuring of the loan, subsequent to the closing of the Merger, the Company granted to MidCap five-year warrants to purchase 101,531 shares of the Company’s common stock at $3.50 per share having a grant date fair value of approximately $300.

 

In March 2014, in connection with the issuance of the Preferred C Stock and the March 2014 Warrants (see Note 10), the Company signed a Fourth Amendment to the Loan and Security Agreement (the “Fourth Amendment”). This amendment fixed the amortization schedule for the Tranche 1. According to the new schedule, principal payments of approximately $159 each were to resume monthly as of May 1, 2014. In addition, the parties agreed to waive defaults that had occurred since the consummation of the Merger. The overall accounting impact of the Fourth Amendment was not material. On May 1, 2014, the Company commenced repayments of principal, as per the new schedule.

 

F- 18
 

 

(2) In March 2012, the Company acquired from MabLife, through an assignment agreement, all rights, titles and interests in and to the patent rights, technology and deliverables related to the anti-Ferritin mAb, AMB8LK, including its nucleotide and protein sequences, its ability to recognize human acid and basic ferritins, or a part of its ability to recognize human acid and basic ferritins. The consideration was as follows: (i) $600 payable in six annual installments (one of such installments being an upfront payment made upon execution of the agreement) with agreement date present value of $376 using an interest rate of 12%; and (ii) royalties of 0.6% of net sales of any product containing AMB8LK or the manufacture, use, sale, offering or importation of which would infringe on the patent rights with respect to AMB8LK. Immune is required to assign the foregoing rights back to MabLife, if it fails to make any of the required payments, is declared insolvent or bankrupt or terminates the agreement. In February 2014, the parties revised the payment arrangement for the purchase of the original assignment rights. $60 was paid upon execution of agreement in April 2012. According to the revised schedule, remaining payments are due as follows: $180 was to be paid in 2014 in total, $120 in 2015 through 2017. A total of $180 was paid in 2014. The Company determined that the overall impact of the amendment was not material. Total discount amortization of $33 and $79 was recorded, as interest expense during the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

(3) In February 2014, the Company acquired from MabLife, through an irrevocable, exclusive, assignment of all rights, titles and interests in and to the secondary patent rights related to the use of anti-ferritin monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of some cancers, Nucleotide and protein sequences of an antibody directed against an epitope common to human acidic and basic ferritins, monoclonal antibodies or antibody-like molecules comprising these sequences. As a full consideration for the secondary patent rights, the Company shall pay a total of $150, of which $15 was paid in 2014 and $25 will be paid on the first through fourth anniversary of the agreement and an additional $35 on the fifth anniversary of the agreement. The agreement date present value was $111. During the year ended December 31, 2014, discount amortization of $12 was recorded as interest expense.

 

10. Financings

 

March 2014 Financing

 

In March 2014, the Company had signed agreements to raise $11,720 (“March 2014 Financing”) through the sale of its newly designated Series C 8% Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Preferred C Stock”), convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock, at an initial conversion price per share equal to the lower of $3.40 and 85% of the offering price in a future public equity offering of at least $10,000, a five-year warrant to purchase 50% or 100% (as per the agreement with each investor) of a share of common stock at an exercise price equal to the lower of $4.25 and 125% of the conversion price of the Preferred Stock then in effect, and a five-year warrant to purchase 50% or 100% (as per the agreement with each investor) of its shares of common stock, at an exercise price equal to the lower of $5.10 and 150% of the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock then in effect (collectively, the “March 2014 Warrants”). One investor defaulted on payments of $1,000 under a short-term promissory note, resulting in rejection by the Company of the investor’s participation in March 2014 Financing. A total of $384 received from that investor in the second quarter of 2014, was applied for participation in later financing done by the Company (refer to Note 11 (d) (5)). In addition, two board members who participated in the March 2014 Financing and paid for their securities by fees earned for service as members of the board of directors, reduced their subscriptions by $20 each, resulting in the cancellation of an aggregate of 40 shares of Preferred C Stock and the related warrants.

 

Preferred C Stock carries a dividend of 8% per annum, based on the stated value of one thousand U.S dollars per share of Preferred C Stock, payable in cash or, at the option of the Company and subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, in shares of common stock. Dividends on the Preferred C Stock accrue from the date of issuance and are paid on the date of conversion thereof. As of December 31, 2014, a total of $256 was recorded for dividend liability.

 

In total, the Company issued 10,680 shares of Preferred C Stock, 1,680,945 March 2014 Warrants at an exercise price of $4.25 and 1,680,945 March 2014 Warrants at an exercise price of $5.10, for $1,000 per share. The Company received total net proceeds of approximately $10,171 after deduction of related fees and expenses of $180, which were allocated to the value of Preferred C Stock, and $329 which was offset against existing debt to the Company’s employees, consultants, officers and directors. Additional offering expenses of $408 were allocated to the March 2014 Warrants and recorded in the statement of operations during the period. Included in net proceeds, was the deposit of $500 the Company received in November and December 2013. Furthermore, in the third quarter of 2014, the Company accounted for the value of additional warrants to be issued to its placement agent, refer to Note 11.

 

The March 2014 Warrants were accounted for as a derivative liability, as both the exercise price and the number of warrants issued were subject to certain anti-dilution adjustments. See Notes 2 and 11. Therefore, on March 10, 2014 (agreement date), the March 2014 Warrants were recorded at their fair value of $7,404. The Preferred C Stock was recorded as the difference between overall consideration and the fair value of the March 2014 Warrants on grant date. Initially, a total amount of $3,096 was recorded as mezzanine equity according to ASC 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity”, as such shares bear clauses allowing for a future adjustment to the number of shares issued to investors. As per above, such adjustment may only increase the number of shares issued, as the conversion price may only be reduced from the initially set level of $3.40.

 

F- 19
 

 

In connection with the March 2014 Financing, the Company filed a Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-195251) to register the resale of the shares of common stock underlying the Preferred C Stock, the shares of common stock underlying the March 2014 Warrants and certain shares of common stock that may be issuable as payment for dividends on the Preferred C Stock, which registration statement was declared effective by the SEC on April 25, 2014. Subsequently, and in accordance with the terms of the Preferred C Stock, such registration triggered a reduction of the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock from $3.40 to $2.71 and the exercise price of the warrants was reduced from $4.75 to $3.39 and from $5.10 to $4.07, as applicable. In addition, the number of March 2014 Warrants was adjusted to reflect the decrease in exercise price. Consequently, as of May 2, 2014, an additional 786,977 shares of common stock may be issuable upon the conversion of the Preferred C Stock, an additional 62,958 shares may be issuable as payment for dividends thereon (the dividend amount represents the annual 8% accrual for the additional common stock shares to be issued due to ratchet triggering event) and additional 427,983 March 2014 Warrants at an exercise price of $3.39 and 427,983 additional March 2014 Warrants at an exercise price of $4.07 were issued.

 

During the three month period ended June 30, 2014, prior to its reclassification out of mezzanine into equity, 4,168 shares of Preferred C Stock were converted into 1,529,262 shares of the Company’s common stock. In addition, during the six-month period ended December 31, 2014, after reclassification from mezzanine into equity, certain investors elected to convert an additional 3,680 shares of Preferred C Stock. As a result, 1,446,057 shares of common stock were issued by the Company.

 

On June 23, 2014, the holders of the Preferred C Stock agreed to amend the Company’s Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series C 8% Convertible Preferred C Stock (“Certificate of Designations”). Pursuant to the amendment, the holders of the Preferred C Stock are entitled, subject to the limitations on beneficial ownership contained in the Certificate of Designation, to vote on all matters as to which holders of the Company’s shares of common stock are entitled to vote. Each share of Preferred C Stock entitles its holder to such number of votes per share equal to the number of shares of common stock which would be obtained upon the conversion of such share of Preferred C Stock as if converted at market value of the common stock on the date of issuance. In addition, pursuant to the amendment, in the event of future adjustments, the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock will not be less than $0.25. As a result of the amendment, which limited the down round ratchet provision and fixed the maximum number of shares to be issued upon conversion, all then outstanding Preferred C Stock, in the total value of $1,887, was reclassified from mezzanine equity into stockholders equity of the Company.

 

In consideration for the consent of the Preferred C Stockholders to amend the Certificate of Designation, and pursuant to the consent of greater than 67% of the holders of the securities issued in the Company’s March 2014 Financing allowing issuance of new securities by the Company, on June 23, 2014, the Company agreed to issue two-year warrants (the “June Warrants”) to purchase up to an aggregate of 427,179 shares of the Company’s common stock to the original purchasers of the Preferred C Stock, at an exercise price of $3.00 per share.

 

The June Warrants were valued at $441, using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, using the following assumptions: volatility of 81.38%, risk free interest rate of 0.45%, grant date stock price of $2.60, expected term of 2 years and 0% dividend yield. The June Warrants were accounted for within the Company’s equity. The Company accounted for the amendment of its Preferred C Stock, classified as mezzanine equity prior to such amendment, as a modification of terms, as the additional fair value granted to investors for such modification was less than 10% of pre-amendment value of Preferred C Stock. As such, as of December 31, 2014, the Company recognized $441, which is the total value of its June Warrants, as a deemed dividend.

 

On August 13, 2014, pursuant to an amendment agreement, the Company and all of the holders of March 2014 Warrants agreed to amend and restate the March 2014 Warrants to remove all anti-dilution provisions, and make certain other changes, in consideration for which, the exercise prices were reduced from $3.39 to $3.00 and from $4.07 to $3.50, and the number of warrants was increased from 2,108,938 to 2,381,342 and from 2,108,938 to 2,449,380, respectively. In addition, the Company issued to such holders a total of 224,127 of its unregistered shares of common stock, in consideration for their consent to modify such warrants (the “Amendment Agreement”).

 

The Company accounted for the Amendment Agreement using the guidance in ASC 815 “ Derivatives and Hedging ” and ASC 470-50 “ Debt - Modifications and Extinguishments ”. Under ASC 470-50-40, as the overall modification was significant, extinguishment accounting was applied. As such, the difference between the fair value of the March 2014 Warrants just prior to the amendment and the fair value of the restated warrants and the restricted shares of common stock issued to investors, is to be recognized as a gain or a loss. As of August 13, 2014, the fair value of the original March 2014 Warrants was determined to be $7,882, the fair value of the restated warrants was determined to be $10,202 and the value of the unregistered shares of common stock was $825. As a result, a non-operating expense of $3,145 was recorded in the statement of operations to reflect the extinguishment. Additionally, a total non-operating expense of $2,322 was recorded in the third quarter of 2014, representing the revaluation of the derivative March 2014 Warrants to its fair value just prior to its amendment on August 13, 2014. Since the warrants no longer contain the anti-dilution protection provisions after the amendment, they are no longer classified as liabilities, and therefore the fair value of the restated March 2014 Warrants of $10,202 was reclassified to stockholders’ equity.

 

The fair value of the March 2014 Warrants was estimated using the Monte Carlo simulation and the Black-Scholes Model. The following assumptions were used to value the original warrants: volatility: 74.80%, share price: $4.11, risk free interest rate: 0.46%-0.52%, expected term: 2.50 years and dividend yield: 0%. The following assumptions were used to value the restated warrants: volatility: 74.40%, share price: $4.11, risk free interest rate: 0.71%, expected term: 2.03-2.08 years and dividend yield: 0%.

 

F- 20
 

 

On August 22, 2014, the Company filed a registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-198309) to register for resale the additional shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of our Preferred C Stock based on the adjusted conversion price of $2.71 per share, shares of common stock that may be issued as payment for dividends on the additional Preferred C Stock, payable through May 2, 2015, shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the June Warrants, and the shares of its common stock issuable upon exercise of our restated warrants. This registration statement on Form S-3 was declared effective on October 28, 2014, and subsequently, as a result, and in accordance with the terms of the Preferred C Stock, such registration triggered a reduction of the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock from $2.71 to $2.43. See Note 11. In addition, as of December 31, 2014, the Company has paid $68 for its obligation to compensate its holders for the delayed filing of its registration statement, and $54 remains accrued for potential future obligations. The shares underlying the Series C preferred stock are no longer registerable securities and as such no additional penalties are expected to accrue.

 

August 2014 Financing

 

In August 2014, the Company entered into an investment agreement with one of its investors. Pursuant to the agreement, the Company received gross proceed of $2,000 upon closing. As consideration, the Company issued the investors 500,000 shares of its common stock, at $4.00 per share, and granted the investor 250,000 warrants (see Note 11 (d)(5)). Total issuance costs related to this financing were insignificant.

 

September 2014 Financing

 

In September 2014, the Company entered into an investment agreement with one of its investors. Pursuant to the agreement, the Company received gross proceed of $384 upon closing. As consideration, the Company issued the investors 96,000 shares of its common stock, at $4.00 per share, and granted the investor 162,000 warrants (see Note 11 (d)(5)). Total issuance costs related to this financing were insignificant.

 

November 2014 Convertible Promissory Note

 

On November 12, 2014, the Company received $1,000 in cash proceeds resulting from a bridge financing (“Bridge”) by an investor who previously invested $2,000 in August 2014. Under the agreement, the Company issued to the investor a convertible promissory note (the “Note”), bearing an annual interest rate of 12%. The Note was subordinated to the Company’s senior secured term loan from its lender, MidCap Financial. If the Company completed an offering of common stock prior to November 6, 2019, the maturity date of the Note, the balance remaining outstanding under the Note would automatically convert into shares of its common stock, at the price per share of common stock sold in its next financing transaction. In addition, as consideration for the bridge financing, the Company entered into a side letter and agreed that if the price per share in its next public offering was less than $4.00 per share (the subscription price paid by such investor in the August 2014 Financing), it will issue additional shares of common stock to the investor in an amount such that the total subscription price paid in August 2014, when divided by the total number of shares issued to such investor will result in an actual price paid per share of common stock equal to such lower price. As a result, on November 12, 2014, the Company recognized a derivative liability, and a debt discount, in the same amount of approximately $670, to be accreted to interest expense through the maturity date of the Note, or upon conversion, if earlier.  The derivative liability would be marked to market through the statement of operations at each reporting period until the next financing transaction of common stock.

 

Furthermore, in connection with the Note, the Company accelerated the vesting of 433,333 restricted shares held by Melini Capital Corp., a related party (see Note 15), and of 433,333 restricted shares previously granted to another existing investor, as a fee for assisting the Company in obtaining the Bridge. Upon the acceleration of vesting, $2,217 of previously unrecognized expense relating to these restricted shares was recorded as debt issuance costs which will be amortized as interest expense over the term of the debt, or to conversion, if earlier.

 

On November 20, 2014, the Company completed an underwritten offering of common stock which triggered the conversion of the Note, re-measurement and reclassification of the derivative liability and the expensing of the related debt discount and debt issuance costs. Prior to the reclassification of the derivative liability into equity the derivative was revalued and a derivative liability expense of $80 was recorded in the statement of operations. Subsequently, the total derivative liability of $750 was re-classified to equity. Additionally, the total debt discount of $670 and debt issuance costs of $2,217 were amortized to interest expense in November 2014.

 

F- 21
 

 

November 2014 Underwritten Offering

 

On November 20, 2014, the “Company” entered into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with National Securities Corporation, as representative of the several underwriters named in Schedule VI to the Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriters”), relating to an underwritten public offering of 3,450,000 units, with each unit consisting of (i) one share of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), and (ii) a warrant to purchase 0.25 of a share of Common Stock, at a public offering price of $2.50 per unit, less underwriting discounts and commissions (the “Offering”). Under the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, the Company has granted the Underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days subsequent to the closing of the transaction to purchase up to an additional 517,500 units to cover over-allotments, if any.

 

The warrants issued in the offering are exercisable for a period of three years following the issuance, at an exercise price of $3.75 per whole share. The warrants will not be listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market or any other exchange and no trading market for the warrants is expected to develop. The shares of Common Stock and warrants will be mandatorily separable immediately upon issuance.

 

On November 26, 2014, the Company announced the completion of the underwriter’s partial exercise of the over-allotment option to purchase 459,697 units, each consisting of (i) one share of common stock of the Company and (ii) a warrant to purchase 0.25 of a share of common stock of the Company, at a public offering price of $2.50 per share.

 

The gross proceeds raised by the Company from the primary offering, the partial exercise of overallotment shares and conversions of board fees owed for past services was $9,781. Total proceeds were offset by underwriting commissions of approximately $743 as well as additional financing fees of approximately $393. The offering resulted in the issuance of 3,909,697 shares of common stock and 1,078,725 warrants. The fair value of the issued warrants is $1,396, which was determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, using the following assumptions: stock price of $2.75, expected term of 3.0 years, volatility of 84.66%, risk-free rate of 0.94%.

 

11.   Stockholders’ Equity

 

(a) Stock Option Plans

 

i. Immune Ltd. 2011 Share Ownership and Option Plan

 

On May 5, 2011, Immune Ltd.’s board of directors adopted and its stockholders approved the Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd. 2011 Share Ownership and Option Plan (the “Immune Ltd. Plan”), authorizing Immune Ltd. to grant ordinary shares to eligible employees, directors, and consultants in the form of share options and other types of share purchase rights. The amount, terms, and exercisability provisions of grants are determined by the board of directors. 4,500,000 ordinary shares were reserved for issuance under the Immune Ltd. Plan, of which 4,036,576 were granted, net of cancellations, and exercises as of the Merger date.

 

The fair value of share based awards granted to non-employees is marked-to-market on each valuation date until performance is complete using the Black-Scholes pricing model. No options were outstanding as of December 31, 2014 and 2013.

 

All of the issued and outstanding options to purchase ordinary shares of Immune Ltd. were exchanged for options to purchase 2,495,951 (effected for the Merger ratio) shares of the Company’s common stock and assumed by the Company in connection with the Merger. The Immune Ltd. Plan has been terminated and no further options will be issued.

 

ii. Immune Option Plans

 

The 2005 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2005 Plan”) provides for the grant of incentive stock options, within the meaning of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code, to the Company’s employees and its parent and subsidiary corporations’ employees, and for the grant of non-statutory stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance-based awards and cash awards to its employees, directors and consultants and its parent and subsidiary corporations’ employees and consultants. The terms such as vesting period are determined by the board of directors. A total of 13,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock are reserved for issuance pursuant to the 2005 Plan. No optionee may be granted an option to purchase more than 1,500,000 shares in any fiscal year. Options issued pursuant to the 2005 Plan have a maximum maturity of 10 years.

 

In September 2013, the Company created the 2013 Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock Ownership and Option Plan (the “2013 Plan”) and assumed within the 2013 Plan the outstanding options to purchase 2,495,951 shares of the Company’s common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $0.60 per share expiring in the years 2022 and 2023 that had been originally issued through the Immune Ltd. Plan. No additional shares will be issued from the 2013 Plan. The Company intends to use the 2005 Plan for its future issuances of incentive stock compensation.

 

F- 22
 

 

(b) Stock options and stock award activity

 

The following table illustrates the common stock options granted for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013:

 

Stock options granted in
the year ended December
31, 2014
  Grant Date   Number of
Options
    Exercise
Price
    Share
Price at
Grant
Date
    Vesting
Terms
  Assumptions used in Black-Scholes option pricing model  
Management, Directors and Employees   February - August 2014     1,603,630       $2.38 - $3.58       $2.38 - $3.58     Over 1.0-3.0 years   Volatility     87.53%-89.00
                                    Risk free interest rate     2.65%-2.82
                                    Expected term, in years     10  
                                    Dividend yield     0.00 %
Consultants   February - September 2014     1,050,000       $2.38-$4.00       $2.38-$4.00     Over 1.0-3.0 years   Volatility     84.33%-87.21 %
                                    Risk free interest rate     2.17%-2.68 %
                                    Remaining expected term, in years     9.09-10.00  
                                    Dividend yield     0.00 %

 

Stock options granted in
the year ended December
31, 2013
  Grant Date   Number of
Options
    Exercise
Price
    Share
Price at
Grant
Date
    Vesting
Terms
  Assumptions used in Black-Scholes option pricing model  
Management, Directors and Employees   October - December 2013     550,000       $0.61 - $2.50       $0.61 - $2.50     Immediate to 3 years   Volatility     92.00%-95.00 %
                                    Risk free interest rate     0.70%-3.00 %
                                    Expected term, in years     5 to 10  
Consultants   December 2013     90,000     $ 2.35     $ 2.35     10 years   Volatility     95.00 %
                                    Risk free interest rate     3.00 %
                                    Expected term, in years     10  

 

The following table illustrates the stock awards for the year ended December 31, 2014:

 

Title   Grant Date   Number of Stock Awards   Share Price at Grant Date   Vesting Terms  
Consultants   January-December 2014   2,357,588   $1.70-$4.82   Over 0.0-3.0 years  

 

The fair value of non-employee stock awards is determined using the share price on the grant date.

 

The following table summarizes information about stock awards and stock option activity for the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013:

 

    Options  
          Weighted           Weighted     Aggregate  
          Average           Average     Intrinsic  
    Number     Exercise     Exercise Price     Grant Date     Value  
      of Options       Price       Range       Fair Value       (000)s  
Outstanding at January 1, 2013     2,552,871     $ 3.81       $0.04 - $5,648.40     $ 1.60     $ 4,295  
Granted     640,000     $ 2.47       $0.61 - $2.50     $ 2.12     $ 4,331  
Exercised     -       -       -     $ -     $ -  
Forfeited     -       -       -     $ -     $ -  
Expired     (22 )   $ 4,153.20     $ 4,153.20     $ -     $ -  
Outstanding at January 1, 2014     3,192,849     $ 3.81       $0.04 - $5,648.40     $ 1.67     $ 4,940  
Granted     2,653,630     $ 2.98       $2.38 - $4.00     $ 2.36     $ -  
Exercised     (20,012 )   $ 0.99     $ 0.99     $ 1.47     $ 38  
Forfeited     (372,724 )   $ 3.92       $0.99 - $4.00     $ 2.95     $ -  
Expired     (106,889 )   $ 88.73       $0.04 - $5,648.40     $ -     $ -  
Outstanding at December 31, 2014     5,346,854     $ 1.70       $0.04 - $4.00     $ 1.95     $ 3,266  
Exercisable at December 31, 2014     3,514,157     $ 1.19       $0.04 - $4.00     $ 1.77     $ 3,250  

 

F- 23
 

 

    Stock awards  
    Number of
Stock
    Weighted
Average
 
    Awards     Fair Value  
Unvested at January 1, 2014     -     $ -  
Granted     2,357,588     $ 3.27  
Vested     (2,196,886 )   $ 3.21  
Forfeited     -     $ -  
Expired     -     $ -  
Unvested at December 31, 2014     160,702     $ 4.06  

 

The total remaining unrecognized compensation cost related to the non-vested stock options and restricted stock amounted to $2,755 as of December 31, 2014, which will be recognized over the weighted-average remaining requisite service period of 1.62 years. The stock-based compensation expense has not been tax-effected due to the recording of a full valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets.

 

(c) Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

The Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”) is implemented by offerings of rights to all eligible employees from time to time. Unless otherwise determined by the Company’s board of directors, common stock is purchased for accounts of employees participating in the ESPP at a price per share equal to the lower of (i) 85% of the fair market value of a share of the Company's common stock on the first day the offering or (ii) 85% of the fair market value of a share of the Company's common stock on the last trading day of the purchase period. Each offering period will have six-month duration.

 

The number of shares to be purchased at each balance sheet date is estimated based on the current amount of employee withholdings and the remaining purchase dates within the offering period. The fair value of share options expected to vest is estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. There were no shares issued under the ESPP during the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, so no expense was recorded. A total of 998,043 shares are available for issuance under the ESPP as of December 31, 2014.

 

(d) Warrants

 

The following table summarizes information about warrants outstanding at December 31, 2014 and 2013:

 

          Weighted        
          Average     Exercise  
    Number of     Exercise     Price  
    Warrants     Price     Range  
Warrants outstanding at January 1, 2013     526,642     $ 55.67       $1.85-$124.20  
Issued     101,531     $ 3.50     $ 3.50  
Assumed warrants     1,377,511     $ 2.09     $ 2.09  
Warrants outstanding and exercisable at December 31, 2013     2,005,684     $ 16.23       $1.85-$124.20  
Issued in connection with March 2014 Financing (1)     3,361,904     $ 4.68       $4.25-$5.10  
Adjustment to amount of warrants issued in connection with March 2014 Financing (2)     1,468,832     $ 3.53       $3.39-$4.07  
Warrants issued for amendment of Preferred C Stock (3)     427,179     $ 3.00     $ 3.00  
Issuance to lead investors (4)     134,004     $ 5.04     $ 5.04  
Warrants issued in connection with private placements (5)     412,000     $ 4.44       $3.75-$5.00  
Warrants issued to March 2014 Financing placement agent (6)     295,366     $ 3.28       $3.00-$3.50  
Issued in connection with November 2014 Financing (8)     1,078,725     $ 3.75     $ 3.75  
Exercised     (77,280 )   $ 3.00     $ 3.00  
Expired     (180,029 )   $ 94.04       $3.00-$124.20  
Warrants outstanding and exercisbale at December 31, 2014     8,926,385     $ 5.06       $1.85-$65.60  

 

F- 24
 

 

(1) As part of the units given to participants in the March 2014 Financing, the Company granted its investors with (i) a five-year warrant to purchase 50% or 100% (as per the agreement made with each investor) of the shares of common stock issuable for conversion of Preferred C stock shares, at an exercise price equal to the lower of $4.25 and 125% of the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock then in effect, and a five-year warrant to purchase 50% or 100% (as per the agreement made with each investor) of a share of common stock at an exercise price equal to the lower of $5.10 and 150% of the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock then in effect.

 

(2) On April 25, 2014, the Company filed a Registration Statement on Form S-1 to register the resale of the shares of common stock underlying the Preferred C Stock, the shares of common stock underlying the March 2014 Warrants and certain shares of common stock that may be issuable as payment for dividends on the Preferred C Stock, which registration statement was declared effective by the SEC. Subsequently, and in accordance with the terms of the Preferred C Stock, such registration triggered a reduction of the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock from $3.40 to $2.71 and the exercise price of the warrants was reduced from $4.75 to $3.39 and from $5.10 to $4.07, as applicable. In addition, according to the warrant agreements, the number of warrants was increased, so that an additional 427,983 March 2014 Warrants at an exercise price of $3.39 and 427,983 at an exercise price of $4.07 were issued. Furthermore, on August 13, 2014, pursuant to an Amendment Agreement, the exercise prices of the March 2014 Warrants were reduced from $3.39 to $3.00 and from $4.07 to $3.50, and the number of warrants was increased from 2,108,938 to 2,381,342 and from 2,108,938 to 2,449,380, respectively. See Note 10.

 

(3) On June 23, 2014, in connection with the amendment of its Certificate of Designations, the Company issued the June Warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 427,179 shares of the Company’s Common Stock to the original purchasers of the Preferred C Stock. See Note 10.

 

(4) On February 24, 2014, the Company’s board of directors approved an amendment to 2012 and 2013 warrant grants to investors of pre-Merger Immune Ltd. Such investors were originally granted with the option to purchase 20% instead of 50% of the shares of Immune Ltd. Therefore, as a remedy, the Company issued an additional 134,004 warrants, at an exercise price of $5.04. The total fair value of $274 was determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, with an expected term of 1.95-4.48 years, volatility of 90%, risk-free interest rate of 0.27%-1.43%. Because the issuance reflects a correction to previous grant, these warrants were accounted for within equity, following the accounting for the original transaction. The impact on current, as well as on any prior financial period was determined not to be material.

 

(5) On August 13, 2014, the Company entered into an investment agreement with one of its investors. Pursuant to the agreement, the Company received a total of $2,000 upon closing. As consideration, the Company issued the investor 500,000 shares of its common stock, at $4.00 per share, and granted the investor 250,000 warrants, at an exercise price of $5.00 with a term of five years. The fair value of the issued warrants is $612, which was determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, using the following assumptions: stock price of $4.11, expected term of 5.0 years, volatility of 83.44%, risk-free interest rate of 1.72%.

 

In September 2014, the Company entered into an agreement with one of its investors. According to the agreement, in consideration for $384, received by the Company in April 2014, it issued the investor 96,000 shares of its common stock and 162,000 warrants at an exercise price of $4.00 and term of five years. The fair value of the issued warrants is $399, which was determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, using the following assumptions: stock price of $3.92, expected term of 5.0 years, volatility of 83.44%, risk-free interest rate of 1.72%.

 

(6) Prior to its March 2014 Financing, the Company entered into an agreement with its placement agent, according to which it was obligated to pay the agent 7% in cash and 7% in warrants of the total amount sold in the March 2014 Financing, as placement agent compensation. The warrants were to bear the same terms and conditions as the March 2014 Warrants. Although the cash fees were paid, the warrants due to the placement agent were inadvertently neither issued nor accounted for. The overall impact in prior periods, of such issuance, was: (i) an additional expense of $300, $116 and $184 in the statement of operations, in the three month periods ended March 31, 2014, June 30, 2014 and the six month period ended June 30, 2014, respectively; (ii) a total of $300 and $265 decrease in stockholders’ equity as of March 31, 2014 and June 30, 2014; (iii) a total of $433 and $265 increase in a long term derivative liability as of March 31, 2014 and June 30, 2014; The impact is deemed to be not material to the periods and therefore was recorded during the three month period ended September 30, 2014.

 

As of December 31, 2014, the Company accounted for the placement agent warrants, at a total fair value of $486, which was determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, with an expected term of 2.25 years, volatility of 74.4%, risk free interest rate of 0.71%. These warrants were accounted for following the accounting method used for the original transaction.

 

F- 25
 

 

(7) In September 2014, the Company’s board of directors agreed to extend the expiration date of 235,333 warrants, originally issued in connection with a financing transaction, at an exercise price of between $3.36 and $4.20, and original expiration dates of between September 2014 and February 2015, until December 31, 2015. As a result, the Company recorded an incremental value of $172, as a deemed dividend. Such value was determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, with an expected term of 1.32 years, volatility of 75.00%, risk free interest rate of 1.50%. Furthermore, the Company entered into agreements with certain warrant holders, according to which, a total of 162,288 warrants at an exercise prices ranging from $4.20 to $5.04 and remaining term of between one and four years, were exchanged for 162,288 warrants at an exercise price of $3.00 and expiration on October 30, 2014. As of December 31, 2014, a total of 77,280 were exercised and the remaining warrants expired. The modification did not have an impact on the Company’s financial statements, since the fair value of the new warrants was less than the fair value of the existing warrants prior to the modification.

  

(8) In connection with the November 2014 Offering (see Note 10), the Company issued warrants to purchase 1,078,725 shares of common stock exercisable immediately for a period of three years with a total exercise price of $3.75 per share. The fair value of the issued warrants is $1,396, which was determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, using the following assumptions: stock price of $2.75, expected term of 3.0 years, volatility of 84.66%, risk free rate of 0.94%.

 

12.  Loss Per Share

 

Basic and diluted loss per share is computed by dividing loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted weighted average shares outstanding for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 excludes shares underlying stock options and warrants and convertible preferred, since the effects would be anti-dilutive. Accordingly, basic and diluted loss per share is the same.

 

Due to the Merger on August 25, 2013, the earnings per share for the period before the acquisition date presented in these financial statements were computed based on Immune Ltd.’s historical weighted-average number of shares outstanding, multiplied by the exchange ratio that was established in the reverse merger. Therefore, unless otherwise noted, all share and per-share amounts for all periods presented have been retroactively adjusted to give the effect to the exchange ratio.

 

Such excluded shares are summarized as follows:

 

    Year Ended December 31,  
    2014     2013  
Common stock options     5,346,854       3,192,849  
Restricted stock units (unvested)     160,702       -  
Shares issuable upon conversion of preferred stock     1,165,351       -  
Warrants     8,926,385       2,005,684  
Total shares excluded from calculation     15,599,292       5,198,533  

  

13.  Commitments and Contingencies

 

(a) Leases

 

The Company’s lease at 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, expired on March 31, 2014. From April 1, 2014 through July 31, 2014, the Company’s headquarters were relocated to 708 3 rd Avenue, New York, NY, 10017. Effective August 1, 2014, the Company’s headquarters were relocated to Cambridge Innovation Center 1 Broadway 14th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142. The aggregate monthly rental payment for such lease is approximately $1 per month; the lease can be terminated after a 30 days’ notice. In October 2014, the Company signed a one-year lease for a corporate apartment in Long Island, NY, for a total monthly cost of $3. In February 2015 the Company’s headquarters were relocated to 430 East 29th Street, Suite 940, New York, NY 10016. The aggregate monthly rental payment for such lease is approximately $17 per month and the lease expires in 2020. The Company’s lease of office space at 15 Abba Even, Herzliya, Israel, expired on December 31, 2013 and it had entered into a new, three-year, agreement for the lease of office space at 11 Galgalei HaPlada, Herzliya, Israel, effective as of December 15, 2013. The aggregate monthly rental payment for such lease is approximately $6 per month. The Company’s lease of laboratory space in Rehovot, Israel expired in March 2014 and was not renewed. For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company recorded rent expense of $158 and $100, respectively. Future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable leases for office space, as of December 31, 2014, are as follows:

 

F- 26
 

 

Period Ending
December 31,
  Amount  
2015   $ 224  
2016     276  
2017     282  
2018     217  
2019     223  
2020     75  
Total   $ 1,297  

 

(b) Employment Agreements

 

The Company is committed under various employment agreements. The agreements provide for, among other things, salary, bonus, severance payment, and certain other payments, each as defined in the respective agreements.

 

(c) Licensing Agreements

 

The Company is a party to a number of research and licensing agreements, including iCo, MabLife, Yissum, Dalhousie, Lonza and Shire, which may require the Company to make payments to the other party upon the other party attaining certain milestones as defined in the agreements. The Company may be required to make future milestone payments under these agreements. See also Note 4.

 

(d) Litigation

 

Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. was the defendant in litigation involving a dispute with the plaintiffs Kenton L. Cowley and John A. Flores. The complaint alleges breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, fraud and rescission of contract with respect to the development of a topical cream containing ketamine and butamben, known as EpiCept NP-2. A summary judgment in Immune’s favor was granted in January 2012 and the plaintiffs filed an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in September 2012. A hearing on the motion occurred in November 2013. In May 2014, the court scheduled the trial in November 2014 and a mandatory settlement conference in July 2014. In July 2014, the parties failed to reach a settlement at the mandatory settlement conference. The case was tried by a jury, which rendered a decision on March 23, 2015, in favor of the Company on all causes of action. Subsequent to year end, in connection with the trial, the Company incurred approximately $405 of legal costs which were settled in cash and 116,594 shares of stock.

 

In October 2014, the Company has received a written demand from a former lender (“Lender”), for $9,100, which is based on an agreement with Immune Ltd., from 2011, relating to a loan of $260, which was repaid in full in 2011. The Lender demands to receive certain warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, to participate in a future public offering or merger of the Company, with certain discounted terms and cash damages. The Company currently estimates that its future loss would range between $300 (as accrued for) to $1,000, which the Company believes is likely to be settled in equity. The Company intends to vigorously defend itself against those demands, if and when official legal proceedings relating to this matter will be initiated.

 

14.  Income Taxes

 

Income tax expense for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 is primarily due changes in exposure for uncertain tax positions and minimum state and local income taxes. The Company recorded a deferred tax liability of $10,870 as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 related to the reverse merger transaction. The deferred tax liability was recorded to account for the book vs. tax basis difference related to the in-process research and development intangible asset, which was recorded in connection with the merger.

 

Deferred income taxes reflect the net effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The Company’s deferred tax assets relate primarily to its net operating loss carryforwards and other balance sheet basis differences. In accordance with ASC 740, “Income Taxes,” the Company recorded a valuation allowance to fully offset the gross deferred tax asset, because it is not more likely than not that the Company will realize future benefits associated with these deferred tax assets at December 31, 2014 and 2013.

 

F- 27
 

 

The change in the valuation allowance for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 was an increase of $7,823 and $11,195, respectively. The large increase in the valuation allowance for the year ended December 31, 2014 was mainly attributable to an increase in net operating losses, which resulted in acquired gross deferred tax assets with a corresponding full valuation allowance. Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets at December 31, 2014 and 2013 are as follows:

 

    December 31,  
    2014     2013  
Deferred tax assets:                
Property, plant & equipment   $ 688     $ 664  
Patents and other intangible assets     359       452  
Accrued liabilities     119       433  
Other     57       57  
Net operating loss carryforwards – U.S.     3,524       5,230  
Net operating loss carryforwards – Israel     9,655       3,370  
Stock-based compensation     4,616       989  
Gross deferred tax assets     19,018       11,195  
Valuation allowance     (19,018 )     (11,195 )
Gross deferred tax assets after valuation allowance     -       -  
Deferred tax liability – AmiKet intangible assets     (10,870 )     (10,870 )
Net deferred tax liability   $ (10,870 )   $ (10,870 )

 

A reconciliation of the federal statutory tax rate and the effective tax rates for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 is as follows:

 

    For the Year Ended  
    December 31,  
    2014     2013  
U.S. federal statutory tax rate     34.0 %     34.0 %
State income taxes, net of federal benefit     4.4       (3.2 )
U.S. vs. foreign tax rate differential     (1.9 )     (13.9 )
Nontaxable bargain purchase gain     -       38.1  
Equity-based compensation     (4.5 )     (19.2 )
Other     1.4       (0.2 )
Change in valuation allowance     (33.4 )     (35.8 )
Effective tax rate     - %     (0.2 )%

 

 

The Company has approximately $67,100 of gross net operating loss carryforwards (federal, state and Israel) as of December 31, 2014. The Company reduced its tax attributes (NOL’s and tax credits) as a result of the Company’s ownership changes in 2007, 2009 and 2013 and the limitation placed on the utilization of its tax attributes, as a substantial portion of the NOL’s and tax credits generated prior to the ownership changes will likely expire unused. The most significant reduction in tax attributes occurred in 2013 as a result of the reverse merger.

 

    December 31,  
    2014     2013  
U.S. Federal NOL's   $ 24,300     $ 13,200  
U.S. State NOL's     24,300       13,200  
Israel NOL's     18,500       13,500  
Total NOL’s   $ 67,100     $ 39,900  

 

F- 28
 

 

The Company’s federal and state NOL’s of $24,300 each begin to expire after 2030 through 2033. The Company’s Israel NOL of $18,500 does not expire.

 

As of January 1, 2007, the Company adopted guidance on accounting for uncertainty in income taxes which clarified the accounting for income taxes by prescribing the minimum threshold a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements as well as guidance on de-recognition, measurement, classification and disclosure of tax positions. The adoption of this guidance by the Company did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations and resulted in no cumulative effect of accounting change being recorded as of January 1, 2007. The Company has gross liabilities recorded of $50 and $40 for the years December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, to account for potential state income tax exposure.  The Company is obligated to file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, Germany and Israel and various states.  Since the Company had losses in the past, all prior years that generated NOL’s are open and subject to audit examination in relation to the NOL generated from those years.  A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:

 

    2014     2013  
Balance at January 1,   $ 40     $ 40  
Additions related to tax positions     10       10  
Reductions related to tax positions     -       (10 )
Balance at December 31,   $ 50     $ 40  

 

15.  Related-Party Transactions

 

(a) Daniel Teper

 

In September 2011, Immune Ltd. entered into an employment agreement with Dr. Teper under which he continued as Immune Ltd.’s Chief Executive Officer. Immune Ltd. agreed to compensate Dr. Teper with a monthly salary of approximately $10 plus benefits and reimbursement of certain expenses. Dr. Teper was eligible for an annual bonus of up to 50% of his annual salary based 50% upon successful achievement of personal objectives and the overall performance of his duties and obligations, and 50% on general corporate performance. The agreement was cancelable by Dr. Teper with six months’ prior notice and by Immune Ltd. with twelve months’ prior notice. On June 1, 2014, Immune Ltd., and Dr. Teper entered into an amendment to an employment agreement, according to which, Dr. Teper’s compensation is to be adjusted to reflect an annual compensation of $100 per annum. Effective January 1, 2015, Dr. Teper’s employment agreement with Immune Ltd. was terminated.

 

On June 1, 2014, Dr. Teper entered into an additional employment agreement with Immune Inc. According to the agreement between Immune Inc. and Dr. Teper, an annual total compensation of $260 is to be paid to Dr. Teper by the Company. In addition, the Company agreed to pay Dr. Teper a sign-on bonus for the services provided prior to the date of this agreement. Moreover, Dr. Teper is entitled for an annual incentive award, in cash or in equity, based on mutually agreed goals. Effective January 1, 2015, concurrent with his terminated agreement Dr. Teper’s employment agreement with the Immune Inc. was amended to increase total compensation to $360.

 

In June 2011, Immune Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Immune Ltd., entered into a services agreement with 21 West Partners LLC (“21 West”), a company owned and controlled by Dr. Teper, a founder and CEO of Immune Ltd, under which, the Company agreed to pay $200 annually for services rendered plus reimbursement for certain expenses. The agreement with 21 West was terminated by the parties in December 2013. In addition, Dr. Teper offset $60 of the amounts due to him under the service agreement with 21 West, for participation in the March 2014 Financing. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, $0 and $127 was due to Dr. Teper, respectively.

 

In February 2014, the Company granted Dr. Teper 750,000 options to the Company’s shares of common stock, at an exercise price of $2.38. These options will vest quarterly over a three-year period. Total fair value at grant date was $1,542.

 

Total expenses recorded for 21 West Partners LLC and Dr. Teper in the aggregate amounted to approximately $209 and $200 in each of the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. As of December 31, 2014, no amounts were due to Dr. Teper.

 

(b) Jean Elie Kadouche, Ph.D.

 

In July 2010, Immune Ltd. issued Jean Elie Kadouche shares of its ordinary stock, so that at the time of the transaction, Dr. Kadouche became a 50% owner of Immune Ltd. Immune Ltd. assigned no value to the shares issued in this transaction.

 

F- 29
 

 

In August 2013, Immune Ltd. and Dr. Kadouche entered into a consulting agreement, pursuant to which, Dr. Kadouche agreed to serve as Immune Ltd.’s Vice President Biologics Research and Development and as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board. In consideration for his services, Immune Ltd. agreed to pay a consulting fee of up to $10 per any calendar month plus reimbursement of expenses if and when services are provided. Dr. Kadouche is also eligible to receive bonus compensation in any calendar year at the discretion of the board of directors. In 2013, Immune Ltd. issued 22,917 of its ordinary shares to Dr. Kadouche as compensation for any past services rendered for which payment had not already been made. The shares were valued at $55.

 

Total expenses recorded for Dr. Kadouche in the aggregate amounted to $15 and $120 in each of the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, $0 and $20 was due to Dr. Kadouche, respectively.

 

(c) Isaac Kobrin

 

In July 2014, Dr. Kobrin resigned from the Company’s board of directors and signed a consulting agreement, under which he will be paid monthly fees of $5 for his services to the Company. In addition, his options continue to vest under their original terms. The related modification charge was insignificant.

 

In October 2013, in connection with his board service, the Company awarded Dr. Kobrin ten-year options to purchase 100,000 ordinary shares at an exercise price of $2.50 per share. Half of the options were immediately vested and half of the options vest within a three year period. The fair value of the options, based on the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, was approximately $242. In addition, in October 2013, the Company had agreed to pay Dr. Isaac Kobrin $60 per year for his board services.

 

Total expenses recorded for Dr. Kobrin in the aggregate amounted to approximately $30 and $90 in each of the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. In addition, Dr. Kobrin participated in the March 2014 financing by converting $60 owed to him by the Company. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, $30 and $60 was due to Dr. Kobrin, respectively.

 

(d) Mark E. Rothenberg, M.D., Ph.D.

 

Mark E. Rothenberg, M.D., Ph.D. was the co-chairman of Immune Ltd.’s Scientific Advisory Board. In March 2011, Immune Ltd. agreed to compensate Dr. Rothenberg $5 per month for consulting services if and when services are provided plus 400,000 ordinary shares. The share grant was valued at $340 based on the fair value of the share as of the date of grant.

 

In December 2013, in connection with his board service, Immune Ltd. awarded Dr. Rothenberg options to purchase 50,000 ordinary shares at an exercise price of $2.35 per share. The options were immediately vested. The fair value of the options, based on the Black-Scholes option pricing formula, was approximately $114.

 

Total expenses recorded for Dr. Rothenberg in the aggregate amounted to $20 and $60 in the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. In addition, Dr. Rothenberg participated in the March 2014, Financing by converting $39 from consulting fees due to him. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, $0 and $100 was due to Dr. Rothenberg, including board fees, respectively.

 

(e) Daniel Kazado and Melini Capital Corp.

 

Mr. Kazado originally served on the Board of Directors of Immune Ltd and is now chairman of Immune Inc. In January 2014, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with Melini Capital Corp., to which Mr. Kazado is related. In accordance with the agreement, Melini Capital Corp. received a grant of 600,000 restricted shares of common stock of the Company, to vest monthly over three years. The vesting of these restricted shares was accelerated in connection with the November 2014 Note (see Note 10). In connection with this grant, and acceleration the Company recorded an expense of $1,605 in the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

In 2012, Melini Capital Corp. had previously received options to purchase an aggregate of 750,000 shares of common stock. As of December 31, 2013, those options have fully vested. The options had a grant date fair value aggregating approximately $1,200 based on the Black-Scholes option-pricing model.

 

In April 2014, the Company entered into a three-year, $5,000 revolving line of credit with Melini Capital Corp., which may become available to the Company within up to four weeks from an official request by the Company. Borrowings under this line of credit would incur interest at a rate of 12% per annum, payable quarterly. Any amounts borrowed under the line of credit become due upon maturity, April 7, 2017. This facility is unsecured and subordinated to the Company’s senior secured term loan. Additionally, either party had the right to terminate this line upon completion of a capital raise in excess of $5,000. The November 2014 financing exceeded $5,000, however, the line of credit was not terminated. On April 14, 2015 the line of credit was amended to waive Melini’s right to terminate the line for one year from the amendment date or the completion of a new capital raise in excess of $5,000, if earlier. To date, no amounts were drawn under this revolving 2014 line of credit.

 

Mr. Kazado offset $20 of existing debt by the Company for participation in the March 2014 Financing. As of December 31, 2014, no amounts were due to Mr. Kazado for his board services.

 

F- 30
 

 

(f) Soho Mavericks LLC

 

In September 2014, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with Soho Mavericks LLC, which was founded, and is being managed by Mr. Benjamin Teper, the son of the Company’s CEO, Dr. Daniel Teper. According to the agreement the Company is to pay a $5 monthly retainer for services received. During the year ended December 31, 2014, total payment under the consulting agreement of $20 was recorded. As of December 31, 2014, no amounts were owed Soho Mavericks LLC.

 

(g) Other Related Party Transactions

 

During the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company owed $162 for services to individuals who were previously determined related parties for services provided prior to December 31, 2012. These individuals were not determined to be related parties during the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.

 

16. Government Grants

 

The Company has received several grants from the State of Israel’s Ministry of Economics. As of December 31, 2013, the Company received a total of $521, which was recorded as a long-term liability. As of December 31, 2014, a total of $469 was classified as a long-term liability and additional $31 was paid by the Company due to results on a grant audit completed by the Ministry on Economics. The terms of these grants require the Company to pay royalties (up to the total grant amount) on any revenue-generating goods or services developed from the research funded by these grants.

 

17. Risks and Uncertainties

 

(a) The Company expects that a large percentage of its future research and development expenses to be incurred in support of current and future preclinical and clinical development programs. These expenditures are subject to numerous uncertainties in timing and cost to completion. The Company tests its product candidates in numerous preclinical studies for toxicology, safety and efficacy. The Company then conducts early stage clinical trials for each drug candidate. As the Company obtains results from clinical trials, it may elect to discontinue or delay clinical trials for certain product candidates or programs in order to focus resources on more promising product candidates or programs. Completion of clinical trials may take several years but the length of time generally varies according to the type, complexity, novelty and intended use of a drug candidate.

 

The cost of clinical trials may vary significantly over the life of a project as a result of differences arising during clinical development, including:

 

●  the number of sites included in the trials;

●  the length of time required to enroll suitable patients;

●  the number of patients that participate in and complete the trials;

●  the number of doses that patients receive;

●  the duration of follow-up with the patient;

●  the product candidate’s phase of development; and

●  the efficacy and safety profile of the product.

 

Expenses related to clinical trials are based on estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant to contracts with multiple research institutions and clinical research organizations that conduct clinical trials on the Company’s behalf. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation and vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. If timelines or contracts are modified based upon changes in the clinical trial protocol or scope of work to be performed, estimates of expenses are modified accordingly on a prospective basis.

 

None of the Company’s drug candidates has received FDA or foreign regulatory marketing approval. In order to grant marketing approval, the FDA or foreign regulatory agencies must conclude that its clinical data and that of its collaborators establish the safety and efficacy of the Company’s drug candidates. Furthermore, the Company’s strategy includes entering into collaborations with third parties to participate in the development and commercialization of its products. In the event that third parties have control over the preclinical development or clinical trial process for a product candidate, the estimated completion date would largely be under control of that third party rather than under the Company’s control. The Company cannot forecast with any degree of certainty which of its drug candidates will be subject to future collaborations or how such arrangements would affect its development plan or capital requirements.

 

(b) Financial instruments which potentially subject the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk consists principally of cash. The Company maintains its cash with various major financial institutions. These major financial institutions are located in the United States and Israel. At certain times during the year cash may exceed federally insured limits.

 

F- 31
 

 

(c) A portion of the Company’s expenses are denominated in New Israeli Shekel and British Pound. If the value of the U.S. dollar weakens against the value of these currencies, there will be a negative impact on the Company’s operating costs. In addition, the Company is subject to the risk of exchange rate fluctuations to the extent it holds monetary assets and liabilities in these currencies.

 

18. Subsequent Events

 

(a) In 2015, subsequent to the balance sheet date, certain investors elected to convert their shares of Preferred C Stock. As a result, a total of 40 shares of Preferred C Stock were converted and 17,415 shares of common stock were issued by the Company.

 

(b) In January 2015, the Company amended a previously issued consulting agreement to include a provision whereby the named consultant would receive a bonus up to 5% of total net proceeds received if a partnering transaction for AmiKet, with a specifically identified entity, were to close prior to June 30, 2015. If earned, this bonus would be payable in 50% cash and 50% fully vested restricted stock units.

 

(c) On March 10, 2015, the Company entered into a binding memorandum of understanding (the “MOU”) with Yissum regarding certain of Yissum’s patents in connection with nanoparticles for topical delivery (the “Technology”) for AmiKet, the Company’s neuropathic pain drug candidate ready for a Phase III clinical trial which has received Orphan Drug Designation for Post Herpetic Neuralgia. Pursuant to the MOU, the parties will enter into a definitive license agreement (the “License”) within six months of the date of the MOU (subject to an extension), for the commercial development and marketing of the Technology worldwide.

 

In addition, the Company will sponsor Yissum’s further research and development of the Technology for AmiKet. In consideration for the License to be executed between the parties, the Company will be obligated to pay Yissum i) an annual maintenance fee of $30 beginning five years after the execution of the License, which maintenance fee shall increase at rate of 30% each year, up to a maximum of $100 and may be credited against royalties or milestone payments payable in the same calendar year; ii) royalties on net sales of products by the Company in the amount of up to 3%, subject to certain possible reductions and iii) up to approximately $4,500 upon the achievement of certain regulatory, clinical development and commercialization milestones.

 

The Company will also sponsor the further research of the Technology to be conducted by Yissum, with a minimum payment of $300 for the first year, which amount shall be reviewed and approved by the parties on an annual basis.

 

(d) On March 10, 2015, the conversion price of the Preferred C Stock was reduced to $1.51, which is 85% of the average of the 20 day closing prices of the common stock immediately prior to such date.

 

(e) On February 13, 2015, the Company entered into agreements with third parties which provided these parties the right to participate in future financings of the Company and receive a minimum of $800 over the next twelve months and $100 in restricted stock, fully vested upon issuance.

 

F- 32

 

Exhibit 10.38

 

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LEASE AGREEMENT

 

THIS LEASE AGREEMENT is made as of this 30th day of December, 2014, between ARE-East River Science Park, LLC a Delaware limited liability company (“ Landlord ”), and Immune Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Tenant ”).

 

BASIC LEASE PROVISIONS

 

Address: 430 East 29th Street, New York, New York, 10016.

 

Premises: That portion of the Project, known as Suite 940, containing 2,175 rentable square feet (as determined by Landlord and accepted for all purposes by Tenant), on the 9th floor in the Building in the Science Hotel® (the “ Premises ”), in the 418,639 rentable square foot West Tower (the “ Building ”) of the of the Alexandria Center™ for Life Science – New York City (“ Alexandria Center ”), as shown on Exhibit A.

 

Shared Work Area: That portion of the Building on the ninth floor, as shown on Exhibit N .

 

Project : The Alexandria Center, including the Land, all buildings (including the Building) and other improvements located (or to be located) thereon and appurtenances thereto.

 

Base Rent: $16,675.00 per month ($200,100.00 per annum), which Base Rent amount shall include all in-suite utilities for Suite 940.

 

Building: The West Tower of the Project.

 

Building’s Share: The proportionate share of the Project attributed to the Building, which shall be the ratio of the total rentable square feet then in the Building to the total rentable square feet then in the Project, as determined by Landlord from time to time (which proportionate share currently is determined by Owner to be 57.53%). Landlord agrees to notify Tenant of changes in the Building’s Share.

 

Land: That certain real property more particularly described on Exhibit B .

 

Tenant’s Share: 0.5195%.

 

Tenant’s Share (SWA): 7.0153%

 

Security Deposit: Unconditional and irrevocable letter of credit, as more particularly described on Exhibit J attached hereto, naming Landlord as beneficiary, to be delivered by Tenant on the date hereof, in form, and from a bank, acceptable to Landlord, in the amount of $100,050.00.

 

Target Commencement Date: February 1, 201 5 .

 

Rent Commencement Date: 3 months following the Commencement Date.

 

Rent Adjustment Percentage: 3.5%

 

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Base Term: Beginning on the Commencement Date and ending 63 months from the first day of the first full calendar month of the Term (as defined in Section 2 ) hereof.

 

Permitted Use: Research and development laboratory, related office and other related uses consistent with the character of the Project and otherwise in compliance with the provisions of Section 8 hereof.

 

Address for Rent Payment via Regular Mail: Address for Rent Payment via Overnight Courier:

P.O. Box 975383
Dallas, TX 75397-5383

 

Wire/ACH Payment Information:

JP Morgan Chase
Alexandria Real Estate Equities
Lockbox 975383 TX1-0006
14800 Frye Road
Fort Worth, TX 76155

 

Bank Name: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA  
Bank Address: 201 N. Central Ave.  
  Phoenix, AZ 85004  
Account Name: ARE-East River, LLC  
Account Number:  
Wire ABA Number:  
ACH ABA Number:  

 

Tenant’s Notice Address: Landlord’s Notice Address:
1 Broadway, 14 th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02142
Attention: Dr. Daniel Teper, CEO
385 East Colorado Blvd., Suite 299
Pasadena, CA 91101
Attention: Corporate Secretary

 

The following Exhibits and Addenda are attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference:

 

[   ]   EXHIBIT A - PREMISES DESCRIPTION [   ]   EXHIBIT B – LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
[   ]   EXHIBIT C - [INTENTIONALLY OMITTED] [   ]  EXHIBIT D – ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COMMENCEMENT DATE
[   ]   EXHIBIT E - RULES AND REGULATIONS [   ]   EXHIBIT F - TENANT’S PERSONAL PROPERTY
[   ]   EXHIBIT G – [INTENTIONALLY OMITTED] [   ]   EXHIBIT H – [INTENTIONALLY OMITTED]
[   ]   EXHIBIT I – [INTENTIONALLY OMITTED] [   ]   EXHIBIT J – FORM OF LETTER OF CREDIT
[   ]   EXHIBIT K – [INTENTIONALLY OMITTED] [   ]   EXHIBIT L – OPEN SPACE DESCRIPTION
[   ]   EXHIBIT M – SUPERIOR INSTRUMENT EXCERPTS [   ]   EXHIBIT N - SHARED WORK AREA
[   ]   EXHIBIT O - SHARED WORK SYSTEMS  

 

1.           Lease of Premises. Upon and subject to all of the terms and conditions hereof, Landlord hereby leases the Premises to Tenant and Tenant hereby leases the Premises from Landlord. Tenant shall have a license, on a non-exclusive basis in common with other tenants and users of the Project, to use all of the Building’s public hallways, lobbies, fitness center, corridors and passages and the Building’s public stairways as “ Common Areas ” from time to time, in accordance with the Rules and Regulations applicable thereto and all Legal Requirements; but “ Common Areas ” shall not include any area within the Premises or any other leased or leasable area of the Project, and such access and use shall be subject to the terms of the Superior Instruments (as defined in Section 28 ). Landlord reserves the right to modify, from time to time, the Project, the Building, the Open Space and the Common Areas, provided that such modifications do not materially adversely affect Tenant's use of the Premises for the Permitted Use. No vault or cellar is leased hereunder, anything to the contrary indicated elsewhere in this Lease notwithstanding. As used herein, the term “ Open Space ” shall mean the portion of the Project that will be subject to a permanent and perpetual public use and access easement, of a location and size substantially as shown on Exhibit L , or otherwise in accordance with the Declaration (Corrective) dated December 29, 2006 by ARE – East River Park, LLC, recorded February 20, 2007 at CRFN 2007000094401, as the same may be modified from time to time.

 

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2.           Delivery; Acceptance of Premises; Commencement Date . Landlord shall use commercially reasonable efforts to deliver the Premises and the ninth floor portion of the Shared Work Area to Tenant in accordance with the terms of this Lease on or before the Target Commencement Date (" Delivery " or " Deliver "). If Landlord fails to timely Deliver the Premises and the ninth floor portion of the Shared Work Area, Landlord shall not be liable to Tenant for any loss or damage resulting therefrom, and this Lease shall not be void or voidable or subject to termination except as provided herein. If Landlord does not Deliver the Premises and the ninth floor portion of the Shared Work Area within 60 days of the Target Commencement Date for any reason other than Force Majeure delays and Tenant delays, this Lease may be terminated by Landlord or Tenant by written notice to the other, and if so terminated by either: (a) the Security Deposit, or any balance thereof (i.e., after deducting therefrom all amounts to which Landlord is entitled under the provisions of this Lease), shall be returned to Tenant, and (b) neither Landlord nor Tenant shall have any further rights, duties or obligations under this Lease, except with respect to provisions which expressly survive termination of this Lease. As used herein, the term " Force Majeure " shall have the meaning set forth for such term in Section 35 . If neither Landlord nor Tenant elects to void this Lease within 5 business days of the lapse of such 60 day period, such right to void this Lease shall be waived and this Lease shall remain in full force and effect. Tenant expressly waives any right to rescind this Lease under Section 223-a of the New York Real Property Law or under any present or future statute of similar import then in force and further expressly waives the right to recover any damages, direct or indirect, which may result from Landlord’s failure to deliver possession of the Premises by the Target Commencement Date or to grant access to certain portions of the Premises prior to the Target Commencement Date as permitted hereunder. Tenant agrees that the provisions of this Section 2 are intended to constitute “an express provision to the contrary” within the meaning of said Section 223-a.

 

(a)          The “ Commencement Date ” shall be the earliest of: (i) the date Landlord Delivers the Premises to Tenant; (ii) the date Landlord could have Delivered the Premises but for Tenant delays; and (iii) the date Tenant conducts any business in the Premises or any part thereof. Upon request of Landlord, Tenant shall execute and deliver a written acknowledgment of the Commencement Date, the Rent Commencement Date and the expiration date of the Term when such are established in the form of the “Acknowledgement of Commencement Date” attached to this Lease as Exhibit D ; provided , however , Tenant’s failure to execute and deliver such acknowledgment shall not affect Landlord’s rights hereunder. The “ Term ” of this Lease shall be the Base Term, as defined above in the Basic Lease Provisions hereof.

 

(b)          Upon delivery of the Premises to Tenant: (i) Tenant shall accept the Premises in their "AS-IS” in their condition as of the Commencement Date; (ii) Landlord shall have no obligation for any defects in the Premises, to perform any work or make any installations in order to prepare the Premises for Tenant's occupancy; and (iii) Tenant's taking possession of the Premises shall be conclusive evidence that Tenant accepts the Premises and that the Premises were in good condition at the time possession was taken. Any occupancy of the Premises by Tenant before the-Commencement Date shall be subject to all of the terms and conditions of this Lease, including the obligation to pay Rent.

 

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(c)          Tenant agrees and acknowledges that neither Landlord nor any agent of Landlord has made any representation or warranty with respect to the condition of all or any portion of the Premises, the Building or the Project, and/or the suitability of the Premises, the Building or the Project for the conduct of Tenant’s business, and Tenant waives any implied warranty that the Premises, the Building or the Project are suitable for the Permitted Use. No rights, easements or licenses are acquired by Tenant by implication or otherwise except as expressly set forth in this Lease. This Lease constitutes the complete agreement of Landlord and Tenant with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any and all prior representations, inducements, promises, agreements, understandings and negotiations which are not contained herein. Landlord in executing this Lease does so in reliance upon Tenant’s representations, warranties, acknowledgments and agreements contained herein.

 

3.           Rent .

 

(a)          Base Rent . The first month’s Base Rent and the Security Deposit shall be due and payable on delivery of an executed copy of this Lease to Landlord. Tenant shall pay to Landlord in advance, without demand, abatement, deduction or set-off, monthly installments of Base Rent on or before the first day of each calendar month during the Term hereof after the Rent Commencement Date, in lawful money of the United States of America, at the office of Landlord for payment of Rent set forth above, or to such other person or at such other place as Landlord may from time to time designate in writing. Payments of Base Rent for any fractional calendar month shall be prorated. The obligation of Tenant to pay Base Rent and other sums to Landlord and the obligations of Landlord under this Lease are independent obligations. Tenant shall have no right at any time to abate, reduce, or set-off any Rent (as defined in Section 5(c) ) due hereunder except for any abatement as may be expressly provided in this Lease.

 

(b)          Additional Rent. In addition to Base Rent, Tenant agrees to pay to Landlord as additional rent (“ Additional Rent ”): (i) Tenant’s Share of “ Operating Expenses ” (as defined in Section 5(a) ), (ii) administration rent for property management services in the amount of 3.0% of the Base Rent (but only if Operating Expenses does not include the costs of a third-party property manager for the Building), and (iii) any and all other amounts Tenant assumes or agrees to pay under the provisions of this Lease, including, without limitation, any and all other sums that may become due by reason of any default of Tenant or failure to comply with the agreements, terms, covenants and conditions of this Lease to be performed by Tenant, after any applicable notice and cure period.

 

4.           Base Rent Adjustments . Base Rent shall be increased on each annual anniversary of the first day of the first full month during the Term of this Lease (each an “ Adjustment Date ”) by multiplying the Base Rent payable immediately before such Adjustment Date by the Rent Adjustment Percentage and adding the resulting amount to the Base Rent payable immediately before such Adjustment Date. Base Rent, as so adjusted, shall thereafter be due as provided herein. Base Rent adjustments for any fractional calendar month shall be prorated.

 

5.           Operating Expense Payments . Landlord shall deliver to Tenant a written estimate of Operating Expenses for each calendar year during the Term (the “ Annual Estimate ”), which may be revised by Landlord from time to time during such calendar year. During each month of the Term, on the same date that Base Rent is due, Tenant shall pay Landlord an amount equal to 1/12 th of Tenant’s Share of the Annual Estimate. Payments for any fractional calendar month shall be prorated.

 

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(a)          The term “ Operating Expenses ” means all costs and expenses of any kind or description whatsoever incurred or accrued each calendar year by Landlord with respect to the Building (including the Building’s Share of all costs and expenses of any kind or description incurred or accrued by Landlord with respect to the Project which are not specific to the Building or any other building located in the Project) (including, without duplication, Taxes (as defined in Section 10 ), project related costs in connection with the shell and core of the Building, site improvements, transportation, maintenance, Common Area utilities, PILOT payments, insurance, capital repairs and improvements amortized (with interest at the Default Rate) over the lesser of 7 years and the useful life of such capital items, the costs of any third-party property manager for the Building, and the costs and expenses of maintaining, repairing, replacing and operating the Building and the Project, excluding only:

 

(i)           the original construction costs of the Project and costs of correcting defects in such original construction;

 

(ii)          capital expenditures for expansion of the Project;

 

(iii)         interest, principal payments of any Mortgage (as defined in Section 28 ) debts of Landlord, financing costs and amortization of funds borrowed by Landlord, whether secured or unsecured and all payments of base rent (but not taxes or operating expenses) under any ground lease or other underlying lease of all or any portion of the Project;

 

(iv)         depreciation of the Project (provided that the exclusion of depreciation shall not preclude inclusion of amortization of capital improvements, which is includable in Operating Expenses in accordance with the terms of this Lease);

 

(v)          advertising, legal and space planning expenses and leasing commissions and other costs and expenses incurred in procuring and leasing space to tenants for the Project, including any leasing office maintained in the Project, free rent and construction allowances for tenants;

 

(vi)         legal and other expenses incurred in the negotiation or enforcement of leases;

 

(vii)        costs of completing, fixturing, improving, renovating, painting, redecorating or other work, which Landlord pays for or performs for other tenants within their premises, and costs of correcting defects in such work; in each instance other than those ordinary building repairs and maintenance to Building structures, windows and Building Systems;

 

(viii)       [intentionally omitted];

 

(ix)          costs to be reimbursed by other tenants of the Project or Taxes to be paid directly by Tenant or other tenants of the Project, whether or not actually paid;

 

(x)           salaries, wages, benefits and other compensation paid to officers and employees of Landlord who are not assigned in whole or in part to the operation, management, maintenance or repair of the Project;

 

(xi)          general organizational, administrative and overhead costs relating to maintaining Landlord’s existence, either as a corporation, partnership, or other entity, including general corporate, legal and accounting expenses;

 

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(xii)         costs (including attorneys’ fees and costs of settlement, judgments and payments in lieu thereof) incurred in connection with disputes with tenants, other occupants, or prospective tenants, and costs and expenses, including legal fees, incurred in connection with negotiations or disputes with employees, consultants, management agents, leasing agents, purchasers or mortgagees of the Building;

 

(xiii)        costs incurred by Landlord due to the violation by Landlord, its employees, agents or contractors or any tenant of the terms and conditions of any lease of space in the Project or any Legal Requirement (as defined in Section 8 );

 

(xiv)       penalties, fines or interest incurred as a result of Landlord’s inability or failure to make payment of Taxes and/or to file any tax or informational returns when due, or from Landlord‘s failure to make any payment of Taxes required to be made by Landlord hereunder before delinquency;

 

(xv)        overhead and profit increment paid to Landlord or to subsidiaries or affiliates of Landlord for goods and/or services in or to the Project to the extent the same materially exceeds the costs of such goods and/or services rendered by unaffiliated third parties on a competitive basis;

 

(xvi)       costs of Landlord's charitable or political contributions, or of fine art maintained at the Project;

 

(xvii)      costs in connection with services (including electricity), items or other benefits of a type which are not standard for the Project and which are not available to Tenant without specific charges therefor, but which are provided to another tenant or occupant of the Project, whether or not such other tenant or occupant is specifically charged therefor by Landlord;

 

(xviii)     costs incurred in the sale or refinancing of the Project;

 

(xix)        subject to Section 10(a) , net income taxes of Landlord or the owner of any interest in the Project, franchise, capital stock, gift, estate or inheritance taxes or any federal, state or local documentary taxes imposed against the Project or any portion thereof or interest therein; and

 

(xx)         any expenses otherwise includable within Operating Expenses to the extent actually reimbursed by persons other than tenants of the Project under leases for space in the Project.

 

(b)          Within 120 days after the end of each calendar year (or such longer period as may be reasonably required), Landlord shall furnish to Tenant a statement (an “ Annual Statement ”) showing in reasonable detail: (a) the total and Tenant’s Share of actual Operating Expenses for the previous calendar year, and (b) the total of Tenant’s payments in respect of Tenant's Share of Operating Expenses for such year. If Tenant’s Share of actual Operating Expenses for such year exceeds Tenant’s payments of Tenant's Share of Operating Expenses for such year, then the excess shall be due and payable by Tenant as Rent within 30 days after delivery of such Annual Statement to Tenant. If Tenant's payments of Operating Expenses for such year exceed Tenant's Share of actual Operating Expenses for such year, then Landlord shall pay the excess to Tenant within 30 days after delivery of such Annual Statement, except that after the expiration, or earlier termination of the Term or if Tenant is delinquent in its obligation to pay Rent, Landlord shall pay the excess to Tenant after deducting all other amounts due Landlord.

 

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(c)          Each Annual Statement shall be final and binding upon Tenant unless Tenant, within 30 days after Tenant’s receipt thereof, shall contest any item therein by giving written notice to Landlord, specifying each item contested and the reason therefor. Operating Expenses for the calendar years in which Tenant’s obligation to share therein begins and ends shall be prorated. Notwithstanding anything set forth herein to the contrary, if the Building is not at least 95% occupied on average during any year of the Term, Tenant’s Share of Operating Expenses for such year shall be computed as though the Building had been 95% occupied on average during such year. “Tenant’s Share ” shall be the percentage set forth in the Basic Lease Provisions as Tenant’s Share as reasonably adjusted by Landlord for changes in the physical size of the Premises or the Project occurring thereafter. Landlord may equitably increase Tenant’s Share (or Tenant's Share of Operating Expenses, as the case may be) for any item of expense or cost reimbursable by Tenant that relates to a repair, replacement, or service that benefits only the Premises or only a portion of the Project that includes the Premises or that varies with occupancy or use. Base Rent, Tenant’s Share of Operating Expenses and all Additional Rent and other amounts payable by Tenant to Landlord hereunder are collectively referred to herein as “ Rent .”

 

6.           Rent Abatement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, provided that there is not a Default by Tenant hereunder, Base Rent and Operating Expenses shall be abated during the period from the Commencement Date until (but not including) the Rent Commencement Date.

 

7.           Security Deposit . Tenant shall deposit with Landlord, upon delivery of an executed copy of this Lease to Landlord, a security deposit (the “ Security Deposit ”) for the performance of all of Tenant’s obligations hereunder in the amount set forth in the Basic Lease Provisions, which Security Deposit shall be in the form of an unconditional and irrevocable letter of credit (the “ Letter of Credit ”): (i) in form and substance satisfactory to Landlord, (ii) naming Landlord as beneficiary, (iii) expressly allowing Landlord to draw upon it at any time from time to time by delivering to the issuer notice that Landlord is entitled to draw thereunder, (iv) issued by an FDIC-insured financial institution satisfactory to Landlord, and (v) redeemable by presentation of a sight draft in the state of Landlord's choice. If Tenant does not provide Landlord with a substitute Letter of Credit complying with all of the requirements hereof at least 30 days before the stated expiration date of any then current Letter of Credit, Landlord shall have the right to draw the full amount of the current Letter of Credit and hold the funds drawn in cash without obligation for interest thereon as the Security Deposit. The Security Deposit shall be held by Landlord as security for the performance of Tenant’s obligations under this Lease. The Security Deposit is not an advance rental deposit or a measure of Landlord’s damages in case of Tenant’s default. Upon each occurrence of a Default (as defined in Section 21 ), Landlord may use all or any part of the Security Deposit to pay delinquent payments due under this Lease, and the cost of any damage, injury, expense or liability caused by such Default, without prejudice to any other remedy provided herein or provided by law. Upon any such use of all or any portion of the Security Deposit, Tenant shall pay Landlord on demand the amount that will restore the Security Deposit to the amount set forth in the Basic Lease Provisions or Tenant shall promptly provide Landlord with an amendment to the Letter of Credit reflecting and ratifying Landlord’s draw thereunder and Tenant’s subsequent restoration of the Letter of Credit to the original amount. Tenant hereby waives the provisions of any law, now or hereafter in force, which provide that Landlord may claim from a security deposit only those sums reasonably necessary to remedy defaults in the payment of Rent, to repair damage caused by Tenant or to clean the Premises, it being agreed that Landlord may, in addition, claim those sums reasonably necessary to compensate Landlord for any other loss or damage, foreseeable or unforeseeable, caused by the act or omission of Tenant or any officer, employee, agent or invitee of Tenant. Upon bankruptcy or other debtor-creditor proceedings against Tenant, the Security Deposit shall be deemed to be applied first to the payment of Rent and other charges due Landlord for periods prior to the filing of such proceedings. Upon any such use of all or any portion of the Security Deposit, Tenant shall, within 5 days after demand from Landlord, restore the Security Deposit to its original amount. If Tenant shall fully perform every provision of this Lease to be performed by Tenant, the Security Deposit, or any balance thereof (i.e., after deducting therefrom all amounts to which Landlord is entitled under the provisions of this Lease), shall be returned to Tenant (or, at Landlord’s option, to the last assignee of Tenant’s interest hereunder) within 90 days after the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease. In the event the issuer of the Letter of Credit experiences a downgrade of its debt rating below “A-” by Standard & Poors Rating Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“ S&P ”) or the equivalent rating by Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. (“ Moody’s ”) at any time during which Tenant is obligated to provide the Letter of Credit, Landlord shall be entitled, in Landlord’s sole discretion, to receive a replacement Letter of Credit from an issuing bank with a debt rating of “AA” by S&P or the equivalent rating by Moody’s or better).

 

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If Landlord transfers its interest in the Project or this Lease, Landlord shall either (a) transfer any Security Deposit then held by Landlord to a person or entity assuming Landlord's obligations under this Section 7 , or (b) return to Tenant any Security Deposit then held by Landlord and remaining after the deductions permitted herein. Upon such transfer to such transferee or the return of the Security Deposit to Tenant, Landlord shall have no further obligation with respect to the Security Deposit, and Tenant's right to the return of the Security Deposit shall apply solely against Landlord's transferee. The Security Deposit is not an advance rental deposit or a measure of Landlord's damages in case of Tenant's default. Landlord's obligation respecting the Security Deposit is that of a debtor, not a trustee, and no interest shall accrue thereon.

 

Tenant covenants that it will not assign or encumber, or attempt to assign or encumber, the Security Deposit. Neither Landlord, nor its successors or assigns, shall be bound by any such assignment, encumbrance, attempted assignment or attempted encumbrance. It is agreed that the provisions of this Section 7 shall apply to every sale, transfer or assignment made of the security to a new Landlord. Tenant shall pay and be liable for any and all fees arising from any transfer of the Letter of Credit upon transfers of ownership of the Project, Building or Premises.

 

8.           Use .

 

(a)               Tenant shall have 24 hours per day, 7 days per week access to its Premises, the Building, and the parking area, subject to restricted access necessary for repairs or emergency conditions. Tenant shall use the Premises solely for the Permitted Use set forth in the Basic Lease Provisions, and in compliance with all present and future laws, orders, judgments, ordinances, regulations, codes, directives, permits, licenses, covenants and restrictions of all state, federal, municipal and local governments, departments, commissions and boards and any direction of any public officer pursuant to law, and all orders, rules and regulations of the New York Board of Fire Underwriters, Insurance Services Office, or any similar body, in each case, applicable to the Premises and the use and occupancy thereof, including, without limitation, the Americans With Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12101, et seq. (together with the regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, “ ADA ”) (collectively, “ Legal Requirements ” and each, a “ Legal Requirement ”). Tenant shall not occupy, use or operate the Premises, or allow the Premises or any part thereof to be occupied, used or operated for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any certificate of occupancy affecting the Building and/or the Project or for any use that may constitute a nuisance, public or private. Tenant shall not permit any part of the Premises to be used as a “place of public accommodation”, as defined in the ADA or any similar legal requirement. Tenant will use the Premises in a careful, safe and proper manner and will not commit or permit waste, overload the floor or structure of the Premises, subject the Premises to any use that would damage the Premises or obstruct or interfere with the rights of Landlord or other tenants or occupants of the Project, including, without limitation, conducting or giving notice of any auction, liquidation, or going out of business sale on the Premises.

 

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(b)               Immediately upon its discovery of any violation or breach of any Legal Requirement, this Lease or any Superior Instrument, Tenant shall take all necessary steps, legal and equitable, to compel the cure of such violation or breach, including, if necessary, the removal from the Premises of any subtenants or licensees using a portion of the Premises.

 

(c)               Tenant will not use or permit the Premises to be used for any purpose or in any manner that is prohibited under the Ground Lease (as defined in Section 28 ) or that would void Tenant’s or Landlord’s insurance, increase the insurance risk, or cause the disallowance of any sprinkler or other credits.

 

(d)               Tenant shall reimburse Landlord promptly upon demand for any additional premium charged for any such insurance policy by reason of Tenant’s failure to comply with the provisions of this Section 7 or otherwise caused by Tenant’s use and/or occupancy of the Premises.

 

(e)               Tenant shall cause any equipment or machinery to be installed in the Premises so as to reasonably prevent odors, sounds or vibrations from the Premises from extending into Common Areas, or other space in the Project. Tenant shall not place any machinery or equipment weighing 500 pounds or more in or upon the Premises or transport or move such items through the Common Areas of the Project or in the Project elevators without the prior written consent of Landlord. Landlord reserves the right to prescribe the weight and position of all safes, files, paper and book storage facilities, business machines and other heavy equipment and installations.

 

(f)                Tenant shall not, without the prior written consent of Landlord, use the Premises in any manner which will require ventilation, air exchange, heating, gas, steam, electricity or water beyond the existing capacity of the Project as proportionately allocated to the Premises based upon Tenant’s Share as usually furnished for the Permitted Use, nor shall Tenant use the Premises in a manner that results in transmissions from the Premises at a frequency which interferes with any other tenant’s use of any portion of the Building or the Project other than the Premises.

 

(g)               Tenant shall not use the Premises or any part thereof, or permit the Premises or any part thereof to be used for the preparation, dispensing, consumption or sale of food or beverages in any manner whatsoever, whether for “on” or “off” premises consumption (other than the consumption of food by employees and invitees of Tenant).

 

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9.           Holding Over . If, with Landlord’s express written consent, Tenant retains possession of the Premises after the expiration or earlier termination of the Term, (i) unless otherwise agreed in such written consent, such possession shall be subject to immediate termination by Landlord at any time, or shall become a tenant at sufferance upon the terms described hereinbelow, (ii) all of the other terms and provisions of this Lease (including, without limitation, the adjustment of Base Rent pursuant to Section 4 hereof) shall remain in full force and effect (excluding any expansion or renewal option or other similar right or option) during such holdover period, (iii) Tenant shall continue to pay Base Rent in the amount payable upon the date of the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease or such other amount as Landlord may indicate, in Landlord’s sole and absolute discretion, in such written consent, and (iv) all other payments shall continue under the terms of this Lease. The parties recognize and agree that the damage to Landlord resulting from any failure by Tenant to timely surrender possession of the Premises as aforesaid will be extremely substantial, will exceed the amount of the monthly installments of the Base Rent and Rental theretofore payable hereunder, and will be impossible to accurately measure. Tenant therefore agrees that if Tenant remains in possession of the Premises after the expiration or earlier termination of the Term without the express written consent of Landlord, then, in addition to any other rights or remedies Landlord may have hereunder or at law, and without in any manner limiting Landlord's right to demonstrate and collect any damages suffered by Landlord and arising from Tenant's failure to surrender the Premises as provided herein, (A) Tenant shall become a tenant at sufferance upon the terms of this Lease except that the monthly rental shall be equal to 200% of the greater of the Rent in effect during the last 30 days of the Term and the then fair market rental value for the Premises, and (B) Tenant shall be responsible for all damages suffered by Landlord resulting from or occasioned by Tenant’s holding over, including consequential damages. No holding over by Tenant, whether with or without consent of Landlord, shall operate to extend this Lease except as otherwise expressly provided, and this Section 9 shall not be construed as consent for Tenant to retain possession of the Premises. Acceptance by Landlord of Rent after the expiration of the Term or earlier termination of this Lease shall not result in a renewal or reinstatement of this Lease. The acceptance by Landlord of any such use and occupancy payment by Tenant pursuant to this Section 9 shall in no event preclude Landlord from commencing and prosecuting a holdover or summary eviction proceeding, and the provisions of this Section 9 shall be deemed to be an “agreement expressly providing otherwise” within the meaning of Section 232-c of the Real Property Law of the State of New York and any successor or similar law of like import. Nothing contained in this Section 9 shall (i) imply any right of Tenant to remain in the Premises after the expiration of the Term without the execution of a new lease, (ii) imply any obligation of Landlord to grant a new lease or (iii) be construed to limit any right or remedy that Landlord has against Tenant as a holdover tenant or trespasser and no acceptance by Landlord of payments from Tenant after the Expiration Date shall be deemed to be other than on account of the amount to be paid by Tenant in accordance with the provisions of this Section 9 . The provisions of this Section 9 shall survive the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease.

 

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10.          Taxes .

 

(a)          Landlord shall pay, as part of Operating Expenses, all taxes, levies, fees, assessments and governmental charges of any kind, existing as of the Commencement Date or thereafter enacted (collectively referred to as “ Taxes ”), imposed by any federal, state, regional, municipal, local or other governmental authority or agency, including, without limitation, quasi-public agencies (collectively, “ Governmental Authority ”) during the Term, including, without limitation, all Taxes: (i) imposed on or measured by or based, in whole or in part, on rent payable to (or gross receipts received by) Landlord under this Lease and/or from the rental by Landlord of the Project or any portion thereof, or (ii) based on the square footage, assessed value or other measure or evaluation of any kind of the Premises or the Project, or (iii) assessed or imposed by or on the operation or maintenance of any portion of the Premises or the Project, including parking, or (iv) assessed or imposed by, or at the direction of, or resulting from Legal Requirements, or interpretations thereof, promulgated by any Governmental Authority, or (v) imposed as a license or other fee, charge, tax, or assessment on Landlord’s business or occupation of leasing space in the Project, or (vi) any taxes or assessments levied after the date of this Lease in whole or in part for public benefits to the Project, including without limitation any Business Improvement District (“ BID ”) tax increment financing (“ TIF ”) or Commercial Rent Occupancy Tax (“ CROT ”) taxes and assessments payable by Landlord and any and all other governmental and quasi-governmental assessments) without taking into account any discount that Landlord may receive by virtue of any early payment of Taxes. Landlord may contest by appropriate legal proceedings the amount, validity, or application of any Taxes or liens securing Taxes. Taxes shall include all PILOT and other impositions and costs for which Landlord is responsible under any Superior Lease (as defined in Section 28 ) including without limitation under Articles 3 and 4 of the Ground Lease or under the IDA Lease Documents (as defined in Section 28 ). Taxes shall not take into account any exemption which Landlord is entitled to under any governmental incentive program for investment and/or employment creation where Landlord is the induced party including without limitation the Industrial and Commercial Incentive Program (“ ICIP ”) or under the IDA Lease Documents or Ground Lease or any other governmental incentive program. Taxes shall not include any net income taxes, franchise, capital stock, gift, estate or inheritance taxes imposed on Landlord or the owner of any interest in the Project or any federal, state or local documentary taxes imposed against the Project or any portion thereof or interest therein, except to the extent the same, however denominated, are imposed in substitution for any Taxes payable hereunder as a result of any change in the manner of taxation of the ownership or operation of real estate in which case the same shall be deemed to be included within the definition of the term “ Taxes .” If any such Tax is levied or assessed directly against Tenant, then Tenant shall be responsible for and shall pay the same at such times and in such manner as the taxing authority shall require. Tenant shall pay, prior to delinquency, any and all Taxes levied or assessed against any personal property or trade fixtures placed by Tenant in the Premises, whether levied or assessed against Landlord or Tenant. If any Taxes on Tenant’s personal property or trade fixtures are levied against Landlord or Landlord’s property, or if the assessed valuation of the Project is increased by a value attributable to improvements in or alterations to the Premises, whether owned by Landlord or Tenant and whether or not affixed to the real property so as to become a part thereof, higher than the base valuation on which Landlord from time-to-time allocates Taxes to all tenants in the Project, Landlord shall have the right, but not the obligation, to pay such Taxes. Landlord’s determination of any excess assessed valuation shall be binding and conclusive, absent manifest error. The amount of any such payment by Landlord shall constitute Additional Rent due from Tenant to Landlord immediately upon demand. With respect to any tax year, all reasonable and customary expenses, including attorneys' fees and disbursements, experts' and other witnesses' fees, incurred in contesting the validity or amount of any Taxes or in obtaining a refund of Taxes shall be considered as part of the Taxes for such tax year. Special assessments, if any, shall be deemed paid in the maximum number of installments allowed by the Governmental Authority having jurisdiction thereover, notwithstanding that Landlord may elect to pay the same on a different schedule. If at any time the methods of taxation prevailing as of the date hereof shall be altered so that in lieu of or as an express substitute for the whole or any part of the Taxes, assessments, rents, rates, charges, levies or impositions now assessed, levied or imposed upon all or any part of the Project or any part thereof, there shall be assessed, levied or imposed (1) a tax, assessment, levy, imposition or charge based on the income or rents received therefrom, whether or not wholly or partially as a capital levy or otherwise, or (2) a tax, assessment, levy, imposition or charge measured by or based in whole or in part upon all or any part of the Project, or (3) a license fee measured by the rents, or (4) any other tax, assessment, levy, imposition, charge or license fee with respect to the Project, or any part thereof, however described or imposed, then all such taxes, assessments, levies, impositions, charges or license fees or the part thereof so measured or based shall be deemed to be Taxes.

 

(b)          Tenant hereby covenants and agrees to (i) pay any and all CROT taxes and assessments payable by Landlord with respect to any rent due hereunder, (ii) pay any and all New York City and New York state transfer taxes, sales taxes and any and all other taxes payable by or on behalf of Tenant, as the same shall become due or payable, and (iii) file all tax returns required to be filed in connection with the foregoing.

 

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11.         Parking . Subject to all matters of record, Force Majeure, a Taking (as defined in Section 20 below), the terms and conditions of this Lease and the exercise by Landlord of its rights hereunder, Tenant shall have the right, in common with other tenants of the Project pro rata in accordance with the rentable area of the Premises and the rentable areas of the Project occupied by such other tenants, to park in those areas designated for non-reserved parking, subject in each case to Landlord’s rules and regulations and subject to the rights of ingress and egress of other tenants and their employees, agents and invitees to other areas of the Project, provided, however, that Landlord shall have the right, without notice, in an emergency and otherwise upon not less than five (5) days’ written notice to relocate all or part of the non-reserved parking to other locations in the parking areas of the Project, and/or to suspend or terminate the right to use any or all the parking spaces. Landlord may allocate parking spaces among Tenant and other tenants in the Project pro rata as described above if Landlord determines that such parking facilities are becoming crowded.

 

12.         Utilities; Services; Refuse and Trash.

 

(a)          General .           Landlord shall provide, subject to the terms of this Section 12 , water, electricity, heat, steam, air conditioning, ventilating, light, power, telephone, sewer, and fire sprinklers to the extent the Project is plumbed for such services (collectively, “ Utilities ”). Landlord shall pay, as Operating Expenses or subject to Tenant’s obligation to reimburse the same (in which event the same shall not be included in Operating Expenses), for all Utilities used by Tenant within Suite 940 and for all maintenance charges for such Utilities, and any storm sewer charges or other similar charges for Utilities imposed by any Governmental Authority or Utility provider, and any taxes, penalties, surcharges or similar charges thereon. Tenant acknowledges that Landlord is not the generator of Utilities and that Landlord's obligation to deliver Utilities to the Premises pursuant to this Lease consequently is subject to the provision of electrical energy and water service to the Project, as applicable, by the respective utility company responsible for delivering same to the Project. Landlord shall have no liability for the availability, capacity, quality, continuity or character of service of Utilities, and no eviction or constructive eviction of Tenant, termination of this Lease or abatement of Rent shall arise due to, nor shall Landlord have any liability due to any loss, cost, claim, damage or expense arising from the availability, capacity, quality, continuity or character of service of Utilities or any interruption, deterioration or removal of any of the foregoing, except as caused by Landlord’s willful misconduct. Tenant acknowledges that the capacity of such utilities available to the Premises is part of the overall capacity of such utilities available to the Project for its use on a non-exclusive basis in common with all other tenants at the Project. Tenant agrees to limit use of water and sewer with respect to Common Areas to normal restroom use.

 

(b)         Special Provisions Regarding Electricity .

 

(i)          In the event that any tax shall be imposed upon Landlord’s receipts from the sale, use or resale of electrical energy or any other utility service to Tenant, the pro rata share allocable to such service received by Tenant shall be passed onto, included in the bill of, and paid by Tenant if and to the extent not prohibited by applicable Legal Requirements.

 

(ii)         Tenant shall enter into such modifications of this Lease as Landlord may from time to time reasonably request in connection with any requirement of the New York State Public Service Commission, or any successor thereto, or any requirement of law pertaining to the supplying of electrical service or the charges therefor under any provision of the Lease. If because of any such requirement, any provision of this Section cannot be given full effect, whether with respect to any past period or any future period, the parties shall enter into such modifications of the Lease setting forth substitute provisions, consistent with such requirements, which, to the maximum extent possible, achieve the intended purposes of the provisions of this Section which cannot be given full effect.

 

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(c)           Refuse and Trash . Landlord shall provide refuse and trash collection and janitorial services at the Building for ordinary office refuse and rubbish and cleaning, and the cost of such services shall be included in Operating Expenses. To the extent that the refuse and trash and/or cleaning needs generated by Tenant exceeds the refuse and trash and/or cleaning needs customarily generated by other tenants of the Building, Tenant shall pay to Landlord the costs that Landlord reasonably incurs for such removal and/or cleaning, within 10 days after rendition of bills therefor, as Additional Rent. In respect of refuse and trash other than ordinary office refuse and rubbish (such as bio/medical waste, “wet trash” and construction debris, and cleaning with respect thereto), at Landlord's option (i) Landlord shall provide collection and janitorial services for such refuse and trash, and Tenant shall pay to Landlord an amount equal to 105% of the Landlord’s cost therefor, within 10 days after rendition of bills therefor, as Additional Rent, or (ii) Tenant shall contract directly with the third-party service provider (acceptable to Landlord in its sole discretion) for the provision of such services and, in such case, Tenant shall pay such service provider directly, prior to delinquency . In all cases, Tenant shall store and stage all its waste, refuse, trash and recyclables within its Premises or in such enclosure areas as may be designated by Landlord and shall keep the Premises in a neat and clean condition. Tenant shall not dispose of any refuse in the Common Areas, and if Tenant does so, Tenant shall be liable for Landlord's reasonable charge for such removal. Tenant shall comply with all Legal Requirements, whether imposed on Landlord or Tenant, regarding the collection, sorting, separation and recycling of waste products, garbage, refuse and trash in the Premises and cleaning the Premises. Upon request by Landlord, Tenant shall sort and separate into categories designated by Landlord and shall place in separate receptacles (as may be designated by Landlord) all waste products, garbage, refuse and trash in the Premises.

 

(d)           Loading Dock and Freight Elevator . Landlord shall provide, on a non-exclusive, first-come, first-served basis, freight elevator service to the floor on which the Premises are located and access to a loading dock adjacent to such freight elevator for Tenant's deliveries in and out of the Premises in connection with the Permitted Use. Tenant's use of the freight elevator and the loading dock shall be subject to the Superior Instruments, the Rules and Regulations, Landlord's security requirements for the Building and/or the Project, and the terms of this Lease. Landlord shall have the right to change the operation or manner of operation of any of the elevators in the Building and/or to discontinue temporarily the use of any one or more cars in any of the elevator banks provided that at all times there will be at least one passenger elevator serving the Premises at all times (subject to such passenger elevator not being in service due to repairs or alterations being made thereto).

 

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13.          Alterations and Tenant’s Property .

 

(a)           Any alterations, additions, or improvements made to the Premises by or on behalf of Tenant, if any, including additional locks or bolts of any kind or nature upon any doors or windows in the Premises, but excluding installation, removal or realignment of furniture systems (other than removal of furniture systems owned or paid for by Landlord) not involving any modifications to the structure of the Building or connections (other than by ordinary plugs or jacks) to Building Systems (as defined in Section 13 ) (“ Alterations ”) shall be subject to Landlord’s prior written consent, which may be given or withheld in Landlord’s sole discretion if any such Alteration affects the structure of the Building or Building Systems, or if Landlord deems that such proposed Alteration will adversely affect Landlord's ability to re-lease the Premises, but which shall otherwise not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. If Landlord approves any Alterations, Landlord may impose such conditions on Tenant in connection with the commencement, performance and completion of such Alterations as Landlord may deem appropriate in Landlord’s reasonable discretion. Any request for approval shall be in writing, delivered not less than 15 business days in advance of any proposed construction, and accompanied by plans, specifications, bid proposals, work contracts and such other information concerning the nature and cost of the Alterations as may be reasonably requested by Landlord, including the identities and mailing addresses of all persons performing work or supplying materials. Landlord’s right to review plans and specifications and to monitor construction shall be solely for its own benefit, and Landlord shall have no duty to ensure that such plans and specifications or construction comply with applicable Legal Requirements. Tenant shall cause, at its sole cost and expense, all Alterations to comply with any applicable insurance requirements and with Legal Requirements and shall implement at its sole cost and expense any alteration or modification required by Legal Requirements as a result of any Alterations. Tenant shall pay to Landlord, as Additional Rent, on demand an amount equal to 10% of all charges incurred by Tenant or its contractors or agents in connection with any Alteration to cover Landlord’s overhead and expenses for plan review, coordination, scheduling and supervision. Before Tenant begins any Alteration, Tenant shall post on and about the Premises notices of non-responsibility pursuant to applicable law. Tenant shall reimburse Landlord for, and indemnify and hold Landlord harmless from, any expense incurred by Landlord by reason of faulty work done by Tenant or its contractors, delays caused by such work, or inadequate cleanup .

 

(b)           In the event Tenant installs a security systems or additional locks, Tenant shall supply Landlord with the necessary card(s) or key(s) and security codes to permit entry in the event of an emergency endangering life or property.

 

(c)           Tenant shall furnish security or make other arrangements satisfactory to Landlord to assure payment for the completion of all Alterations work free and clear of liens, and shall provide (and cause each contractor or subcontractor to provide) certificates of insurance for workers' compensation and other coverage in amounts and from an insurance company satisfactory to Landlord protecting Landlord against liability for personal injury or property damage during construction. Upon completion of any Alterations, Tenant shall deliver to Landlord: (i) sworn statements setting forth the names of all contractors and subcontractors who did the work and final lien waivers from all such contractors and subcontractors; and (ii) “as built” plans for any such Alteration.

 

(d)           Other than (i) the items, if any, listed on Exhibit F attached hereto, (ii) any items agreed by Landlord in writing to be included on Exhibit F in the future, and (iii) any trade fixtures, machinery, equipment and other personal property not paid for or installed by Landlord which may be removed without damage to the Premises, which damage shall be repaired (including capping or terminating utility hook-ups behind walls) by Tenant prior to the expiration or earlier termination of the Term (collectively, “ Tenant’s Property ”), all property of any kind paid for by Landlord, all Alterations, real property fixtures, built-in machinery and equipment, built-in casework and cabinets and other similar additions and improvements built into the Premises so as to become an integral part of the Premises such as fume hoods which penetrate the roof or plenum area, built-in cold rooms, built-in warm rooms, walk-in cold rooms, walk-in warm rooms, deionized water systems, glass washing equipment, autoclaves, chillers, built-in plumbing, electrical and mechanical equipment and systems, and any power generator and transfer switch (collectively, “ Installations ”) shall be and shall remain the property of Landlord during the Term and following the expiration or earlier termination of the Term, shall not be removed by Tenant at any time during the Term and shall remain upon and be surrendered with the Premises as a part thereof in accordance with Section 29 following the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease; provided , however , that Landlord shall, at the time its approval of such Installation is requested notify Tenant if it has elected to cause Tenant to remove such Installation upon the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease. If Landlord so elects, Tenant shall remove such Installation upon the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease and restore any damage caused by or occasioned as a result of such removal, including, when removing any of Tenant’s Property which was plumbed, wired or otherwise connected to any of the Building Systems, capping off all such connections behind the walls of the Premises and repairing any holes. In the event Tenant fails to remove any such Installation in accordance with the foregoing sentence, Landlord may do so at Tenant’s expense. During any such restoration period that extends beyond the expiration or earlier termination of the Term, Tenant shall pay Rent to Landlord as provided herein as if said space were otherwise occupied by Tenant.

 

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(e)           No Alteration shall (i) affect the exterior walls, fascia or fenestration of the Building or the demising walls of the Premises, (ii) affect any part of the Project other than the Premises or require any alterations, installations, improvements, additions or other physical changes to be performed in or made to any portion of the Project other than the Premises, (iii) adversely affect any service required to be furnished by Landlord to Tenant or to any other tenant or occupant of the Project, (iv) adversely affect the functioning of any Building System, and (v) affect or require an amendment to (other than to confirm completion of the Alteration) the Certificate of Occupancy for the Premises or for any other part of the Project.

 

(f)           Tenant covenants and agrees that no security agreement, lien, lease, conditional sales agreement, chattel mortgage or other title retention or instrument of similar import (a “ Security Agreement ”) shall be placed upon any improvement made by Tenant which is affixed to the Premises. In the event that any of Tenant's Property are purchased or acquired by Tenant subject to a Security Agreement, Tenant agrees that no Security Agreement or Uniform Commercial Code filing statement shall be permitted to be filed against the Premises, the Building or any other part of the Project. If any such lien, based on a Security Agreement or Uniform Commercial Code filing statement, is filed against the Premises or any other part of the Project, Tenant shall, within 20 business days following notice thereof from Landlord, cause such lien or notice to be removed or discharged at Tenant's cost and expense.

 

(g)           Tenant shall use its commercially reasonable and diligent efforts to perform such Alterations and other work at such times and in such manner as shall minimize any interference, disruption or disturbance from such performance.

 

(h)           Tenant shall not, at any time prior to or during the Term, directly or indirectly employ, or permit the employment of, any contractor, mechanic or laborer in the Premises, in connection with any Alteration, if such employment would interfere or cause any conflict with other contractors, mechanics or laborers engaged in the construction, maintenance or operation of the Project by Landlord, Tenant or others. In the event of any such interference or conflict, Tenant, upon demand of Landlord, shall cause all contractors, mechanics or laborers causing such interference or conflict to leave the Building immediately.

 

14.          Landlord’s and Tenant’s Repairs . Landlord, as an Operating Expense, shall maintain all of the structural and Building Systems (as defined below) in good repair, reasonable wear and tear and uninsured losses and damages caused by Tenant, or by any of Tenant’s agents, servants, employees, invitees and contractors (collectively, “ Tenant Parties ”) excluded. Losses and damages caused by Tenant or any Tenant Party shall be repaired by Landlord at Tenant’s sole cost and expense. Landlord reserves the right to stop Building Systems services when necessary (i) by reason of accident or emergency, or (ii) for planned repairs, alterations or improvements, which are, in the judgment of Landlord, desirable or necessary to be made, until said repairs, alterations or improvements shall have been completed. Landlord shall have no responsibility or liability for failure to supply Building Systems services during any such period of interruption; provided , however , that Landlord shall, except in case of emergency, make a commercially reasonable effort to give Tenant 24 hours advance notice of any planned stoppage of Building Systems services for routine maintenance, repairs, alterations or improvements. Tenant shall promptly give Landlord written notice of any repair required to be effected by Landlord pursuant to this Section 14 , after which Landlord shall have a reasonable opportunity to effect such repair. Landlord shall not be liable for any failure to make any repairs or to perform any maintenance unless such failure shall persist for an unreasonable time after Tenant’s written notice of the need for such repairs or maintenance. Tenant waives its rights under any state or local law to terminate this Lease or to make such repairs at Landlord’s expense and agrees that the parties’ respective rights with respect to such matters shall be solely as set forth herein. Repairs required as the result of fire, earthquake, flood, vandalism, war, or similar cause of damage or destruction shall be controlled by Section 19 . As used herein, the term “ Building Systems ” shall mean, collectively, the HVAC, plumbing, fire sprinkler, elevators and all other building systems located outside of the Premises and serving the Premises and other portions of the Project,

 

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If at any time any windows of the Premises are temporarily closed or darkened due to any Legal Requirement or by reason of repairs, maintenance, alterations, or improvements to the Building, or any scaffolding or “sidewalk bridge” is erected in front of the Building due to any Legal Requirement or by reason of any repairs, maintenance, alterations to the Building or any property adjacent to the Building, Landlord shall not be liable for any damage Tenant may sustain thereby and Tenant shall not be entitled to any compensation therefor, nor abatement or diminution of Base Rent or any other amount due under this Lease, nor shall the same release Tenant from its obligations hereunder, in whole or in part, by reason of inconvenience or annoyance to Tenant, or injury to or interruption of Tenant's business, or otherwise, nor impose any liability upon Landlord or its agents.

 

15.          Tenant’s Repairs . Subject to Section 14 hereof, Tenant, at its expense, shall repair, replace and maintain in good condition all portions of the Premises, including, without limitation, entries, doors, ceilings, interior windows, interior walls, and the interior side of demising walls. Such repair and replacement may include capital expenditures and repairs whose benefit may extend beyond the Term. Should Tenant fail to make any such repair or replacement or fail to maintain the Premises, Landlord shall give Tenant notice of such failure. If Tenant fails to commence cure of such failure within 10 days of Landlord’s notice, and thereafter diligently prosecute such cure to completion, Landlord may perform such work and shall be reimbursed by Tenant within 10 days after demand therefor; provided, however, that if such failure by Tenant creates or could create an emergency, Landlord may immediately commence cure of such failure and shall thereafter be entitled to recover the costs of such cure from Tenant. Subject to Sections 18 and 19 , Tenant shall bear the full uninsured cost of any repair or replacement to any part of the Project that result from damage caused by Tenant or any Tenant Party and any repair that benefits only the Premises. Tenant shall not clean nor require, permit, suffer or allow any window in the Premises to be cleaned from the outside in violation of Section 202 of New York State Labor Law or any other applicable law, or of the Rules of the Board of Standards and Appeals, or of any other Board or body having or asserting jurisdiction.

 

16.          Mechanic’s Liens . Tenant shall discharge, by bond or otherwise, any mechanic’s lien filed against the Premises or against the Project for work claimed to have been done for, or materials claimed to have been furnished to, Tenant within 10 days after the filing thereof, at Tenant’s sole cost and shall otherwise keep the Premises and the Project free from any liens arising out of work performed for, materials furnished to, or obligations incurred by Tenant. Should Tenant fail to discharge any lien described herein, Landlord shall have the right, but not the obligation, to pay such claim or post a bond or otherwise provide security to eliminate the lien as a claim against title to the Project and the cost thereof shall be immediately due from Tenant as Additional Rent. If Tenant shall lease or finance the acquisition of office equipment, furnishings, or other personal property of a removable nature utilized by Tenant in the operation of Tenant’s business, Tenant covenants that any Security Agreement, and any Uniform Commercial Code Financing Statement filed as a matter of public record by any lessor or creditor of Tenant, shall upon its face or by exhibit thereto indicate that such Security Agreement or Financing Statement is applicable only to removable personal property of Tenant located within the Premises. Tenant shall cause to be inserted in any such Security Agreement the following provision: “Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, this lease, chattel mortgage, conditional sales agreement, title retention agreement or security agreement shall not create or be filed as a lien against the land, building and improvements comprising the real property in which the goods, machinery, equipment, appliances or other personal property covered hereby are to be located or installed”; and, in no event shall the address of the Project be furnished on any such Financing Statement without qualifying language as to applicability of the lien only to removable personal property, located in an identified suite held by Tenant.

 

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17.          Indemnification . Tenant shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Landlord, the entities (if any) comprising Landlord, each affiliate or subsidiary of Landlord, and its and their partners, members, shareholders, officers, directors, employees and agents, Lessors (including, without limitation, the City and any administrator of the Ground Lease) and Mortgagees (as defined in Section 28 ) (each individually and collectively the “ Landlord Indemnitees ”) from and against any and all Claims against the Landlord Indemnitees of whatever nature arising directly or indirectly from, or out of: (a) any negligence or willful misconduct by, Tenant, its officers, members, managers, directors, partners, contractors, licensees, agents, servants, employees, invitees or visitors, sublessees and assigns (b) any accident, injury, death or damage whatsoever caused to any Person or to the property of any Person occurring within or about the Premises, (c) any accident, injury, death or damage whatsoever caused to any Person or to the property of any Person occurring outside of the Premises but anywhere within or about the Land, where such accident, injury, death or damage is caused (or is claimed to have been caused) by or otherwise involves an act or omission, or the negligence or willful misconduct, of Tenant or Tenant's contractors, licensees, agents, servants, employees, invitees or visitors and (d) any accident, injury, death or damage whatsoever caused to any Person or to the property of any Person occurring within or about the Premises, where such accident, injury, death or damage is caused (or is claimed to have been caused) by or otherwise relates to the use or occupancy of the Premises or a breach or default by Tenant in the performance of any of its obligations hereunder, unless, in each case set forth in clauses (a) through (d), caused solely by the willful misconduct or negligence of Landlord. This indemnity, defense and hold harmless agreement shall include indemnification from and against any and all liability, fines, suits, demands, costs and expenses of any kind or nature (including reasonable attorneys' fees and disbursements) incurred in or in connection with any such claim or proceeding brought thereon, and the defense thereof.

 

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18.          Insurance .

 

(a)          Landlord shall maintain all risk property and, if applicable, sprinkler damage insurance covering the full replacement cost of the Project. Landlord shall further procure and maintain commercial general liability insurance with a single loss limit of not less than $2,000,000 for bodily injury and property damage with respect to the Project. Landlord may, but is not obligated to, maintain such other insurance and additional coverages as it may deem necessary, including, but not limited to, flood, environmental hazard and earthquake, loss or failure of building equipment, errors and omissions, rental loss during the period of repair or rebuilding, workers’ compensation insurance and fidelity bonds for employees employed to perform services and insurance for any improvements installed by Tenant or which are in addition to the standard improvements customarily furnished by Landlord without regard to whether or not the same are made a part of the Project. All such insurance shall be included as part of the Operating Expenses. The Project may be included in a blanket policy (in which case the cost of such insurance allocable to the Project will be determined by Landlord based upon the insurer’s cost calculations). Tenant shall also reimburse Landlord for any increased premiums or additional insurance which Landlord reasonably deems necessary as a result of Tenant’s use of the Premises. Tenant (and, during the prosecution of any I electrical current), water and sprinkler damage, and off-premises failure of power or other utility services) with 18 months of business interruption and extra expense coverage, covering the full replacement cost of all property and improvements installed or placed in the Premises by Tenant at Tenant’s expense (including, without limitation, builder’s risk coverage for all Alterations); workers’ compensation insurance with no less than the minimum limits required by law; employer’s liability insurance with such limits as required by law; comprehensive automobile liability insurance (including automotive liability, including pollution coverage, from loading and unloading) with combined bodily injury and property damage coverage limits, per occurrence, of at least $1,000,000; and commercial general liability insurance and umbrella liability, in each case, for minimum combined bodily injury and property damage coverage limits totaling $2,000,000 per occurrence and $5,000,000 in the aggregate. The commercial general liability insurance policy shall name (i) Landlord, (ii) its officers, directors, employees, managers, agents, invitees, contractors, subcontractors, general contractor (or construction manager, as applicable), (iii) Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., (iv) New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (and any other Ground Landlord (as defined in Section 28 ) from time to time), (v) the City, (vi) the IDA (as defined in Section 28 ), and (vii) the New York City Economic Development Corporation (and any other Ground Lease (as defined in Section 28 ) administrator/agent from time to time) (collectively, “ Landlord Parties ”), as additional insureds; insure on an occurrence and not a claims-made basis; be issued by insurance companies which have a rating of not less than policyholder rating of A and financial category rating of at least Class X in “Best’s Insurance Guide”; shall not be cancelable for nonpayment of premium unless 30 days prior written notice shall have been given to Landlord from the insurer; contain a hostile fire endorsement and a contractual liability endorsement; and provide primary coverage to Landlord (any policy issued to Landlord providing duplicate or similar coverage shall be deemed excess over Tenant’s policies). Copies of such policies (if requested by Landlord), or certificates of insurance showing the limits of coverage required hereunder and showing Landlord as an additional insured, along with reasonable evidence of the payment of premiums for the applicable period, shall be delivered to Landlord by Tenant upon commencement of the Term and upon each renewal of said insurance. Tenant’s policy may be a “blanket policy” with an aggregate per location endorsement which specifically provides that the amount of insurance shall not be prejudiced by other losses covered by the policy. Tenant shall, at least 5 days prior to the expiration of such policies, furnish Landlord with renewal certificates. In addition, upon receipt by Tenant of any notice of cancellation or any other notice from the insurance carrier which may adversely affect the coverage of the insureds under such policy of insurance, Tenant shall promptly deliver to Landlord and any other additional insured hereunder a copy of such notice. If at any time Tenant (or its general contractor, contractors and/or subcontractors) shall fail to procure or maintain all insurance required to be carried by Tenant pursuant to this Lease, Landlord may procure (but shall have no obligation to procure) such insurance on behalf of Tenant (and its general contractor, contractors and/or subcontractors) and the cost thereof shall be payable by Tenant upon demand. Such insurer(s) shall be selected by Tenant, subject to Landlord's approval, not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.

 

(b)          In each instance where insurance is to name Landlord as an additional insured, Tenant shall upon written request of Landlord also designate and furnish certificates so evidencing Landlord as additional insured to: (i) any lender of Landlord holding a security interest in the Project or any portion thereof, (ii) the landlord under any lease wherein Landlord is tenant of the real property on which the Project is located, if the interest of Landlord is or shall become that of a tenant under a ground or other underlying lease rather than that of a fee owner, and/or (iii) any management company retained by Landlord to manage the Project.

 

(c)          The property insurance obtained by Landlord and Tenant shall include a waiver of subrogation by the insurers and all rights based upon an assignment from its insured, against Landlord or Tenant, and their respective officers, directors, employees, managers, agents, invitees and contractors (“ Related Parties ”), in connection with any loss or damage thereby insured against. Neither party nor its respective Related Parties shall be liable to the other for loss or damage caused by any risk insured against under property insurance required to be maintained hereunder, and each party waives any claims against the other party, and its respective Related Parties, for such loss or damage. The failure of a party to insure its property shall not void this waiver. Landlord and its respective Related Parties shall not be liable for, and Tenant hereby waives all claims against such parties for, business interruption and losses occasioned thereby sustained by Tenant or any person claiming through Tenant resulting from any accident or occurrence in or upon the Premises or the Project from any cause whatsoever. If the foregoing waivers shall contravene any law with respect to exculpatory agreements, the liability of Landlord or Tenant shall be deemed not released but shall be secondary to the other’s insurer.

 

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(d)          Landlord may require insurance policy limits to be raised to conform to requirements of Landlord’s lender and/or to bring coverage limits to levels then being generally required of new tenants within the Project.

 

(e)          Tenant acknowledges that Landlord shall not carry insurance on, and shall not be responsible for damage to, Tenant's Property or any Alterations, betterments or improvements made by Tenant to the Premises. Tenant agrees that Landlord shall not be required to maintain insurance coverage with respect to the portions of the Premises for which Tenant is required to maintain insurance in accordance with the terms of this Lease.

 

19.          Restoration .

 

(a)          If, at any time during the Term, the Project or the Premises are damaged or destroyed by a fire or other insured casualty, Landlord shall notify Tenant within 60 days after discovery of such damage or destruction as to the amount of time Landlord reasonably estimates it will take to restore the Project or the Premises, as applicable (the “ Restoration Period ”). If the Restoration Period is estimated to exceed 12 months from the date that Landlord obtains all required permits to perform the restoration (the “ Maximum Restoration Period ”), Landlord may, in such notice, elect to terminate this Lease as of the date that is 75 days after the date of discovery of such damage or destruction. Unless Landlord so elects to terminate this Lease, Landlord shall, subject to receipt of sufficient insurance proceeds (with any deductible to be treated as a current Operating Expense), promptly restore the Premises (excluding any improvements installed by Tenant or by Landlord and paid for by Tenant unless covered by the insurance Landlord maintains as Operating Expenses hereunder, in which case such improvements shall be included, to the extent of such insurance proceeds, in Landlord’s restoration), subject to delays arising from the collection of insurance proceeds, from Force Majeure events or as needed to obtain any license, clearance or other authorization of any kind required to enter into and restore the Premises issued by any Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the use, storage, handling, treatment, generation, release, disposal, removal or remediation of Hazardous Materials (as defined in Section 31 ) in, on or about the Premises (collectively referred to herein as “ Hazardous Materials Clearances ”); provided , however , that if repair or restoration of the Premises is not substantially complete as of the end of the Maximum Restoration Period or, if longer, the Restoration Period, Landlord may, in its sole and absolute discretion, elect not to proceed with such repair and restoration, in which event Landlord shall be relieved of its obligation to make such repairs or restoration and this Lease shall terminate as of the date that is 75 days after the later of: (i) discovery of such damage or destruction, or (ii) the date all required Hazardous Materials Clearances are obtained, but Landlord shall retain any Rent paid and the right to any Rent payable by Tenant prior to such election by Landlord or Tenant.

 

(b)          Tenant, at its expense, shall promptly perform, subject to delays arising from the collection of insurance proceeds, from Force Majeure (as defined in Section 35 ) events or from obtaining Hazardous Materials Clearances, all repairs or restoration not required to be done by Landlord and shall promptly re-enter the Premises and commence doing business in accordance with this Lease. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Landlord may terminate this Lease if the Premises are damaged during the last 1 year of the Term and Landlord reasonably estimates that it will take more than 2 months to repair such damage, or if insurance proceeds are not available for such restoration. Rent shall be abated from the date all required Hazardous Material Clearances are obtained until the repair and restoration of the Premises is substantially completed, in the proportion which the area of the Premises, if any, which is not usable by Tenant bears to the total area of the Premises, unless Landlord provides Tenant with other space during the period of repair that is suitable for the temporary conduct of Tenant’s business. Such abatement shall be the sole remedy of Tenant, and except as provided in this Section 19 , Tenant waives any right to terminate this Lease by reason of damage or casualty loss.

 

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(c)          The provisions of this Lease, including this Section 19 , constitute an express agreement between Landlord and Tenant with respect to any and all damage to, or destruction of, all or any part of the Premises, or any other portion of the Project, and any statute or regulation which is now or may hereafter be in effect shall have no application to this Lease or any damage or destruction to all or any part of the Premises or any other portion of the Project, the parties hereto expressly agreeing that this Section 19 sets forth their entire understanding and agreement with respect to such matters.

 

(d)          Tenant hereby expressly waives the provision of Section 227 of the Real Property Law and agrees that the foregoing provisions of this Section 19 shall govern and control in lieu thereof, this Section 19 being an express agreement.

 

20.          Condemnation . If the whole or any material part of the Premises, the Building or the Project is taken for any public or quasi-public use under governmental law, ordinance, or regulation, or by right of eminent domain, or by private purchase in lieu thereof (a “ Taking ” or “ Taken ”), and the Taking would in Landlord’s reasonable judgment, either prevent or materially interfere with Tenant’s use of the Premises or materially interfere with or impair Landlord’s ownership or operation of the Building or Project, then upon written notice by Landlord this Lease shall terminate and Rent shall be apportioned as of said date. If part of the Premises shall be Taken, and this Lease is not terminated as provided above, Landlord shall promptly restore the Premises and the Project as nearly as is commercially reasonable under the circumstances to their condition prior to such partial Taking and the rentable square footage of the Building, the rentable square footage of the Premises, Tenant’s Share of Operating Expenses and the Rent payable hereunder during the unexpired Term shall be reduced to such extent as may be fair and reasonable under the circumstances. Upon any such Taking, Landlord shall be entitled to receive the entire price or award from any such Taking without any payment to Tenant, and Tenant hereby assigns to Landlord Tenant’s interest, if any, in such award. Tenant shall have the right, to the extent that same shall not diminish Landlord’s award, to make a separate claim against the condemning authority (but not Landlord) for such compensation as may be separately awarded or recoverable by Tenant for moving expenses and damage to Tenant’s trade fixtures, if a separate award for such items is made to Tenant. Tenant hereby waives any and all rights it might otherwise have pursuant to any provision of state law to terminate this Lease upon a partial Taking of the Premises or the Project.

 

21.          Events of Default . Each of the following events shall be a default (“ Default ”) by Tenant under this Lease:

 

(a)          Payment Defaults . Tenant shall fail to pay any installment of Rent or any other payment hereunder when due, including, without limitation, any penalties or interest accrued thereon.

 

(b)          Insurance . Any insurance required to be maintained by Tenant pursuant to this Lease shall be canceled or terminated or shall expire or shall be reduced or materially changed, or Landlord shall receive a notice of nonrenewal of any such insurance and Tenant shall fail to obtain replacement insurance at least 20 days before the expiration, cancellation, termination, or reduction of, or material change in, the current coverage.

 

(c)          Abandonment . Tenant shall abandon the Premises.

 

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(d)          Improper Transfer . Tenant shall assign, sublease or otherwise transfer (including, without limitation, by operation of law) or attempt to transfer all or any portion of Tenant’s interest in this Lease or the Premises except as expressly permitted herein, or Tenant’s interest in this Lease shall be attached, executed upon, or otherwise judicially seized and such action is not released or dismissed within 90 days of the action.

 

(e)          Liens . Tenant shall fail to discharge or otherwise obtain the release of any lien placed upon the Premises in violation of this Lease within 10 days after any such lien is filed against the Premises.

 

(f)          Insolvency Events . Tenant or any guarantor or surety of Tenant’s obligations hereunder shall: (A) make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; (B) commence any case, proceeding or other action seeking to have an order for relief entered on its behalf as a debtor or to adjudicate it a bankrupt or insolvent, or seeking reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, liquidation, dissolution or composition of it or its debts or seeking appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian or other similar official for it or for all or of any substantial part of its property (collectively a “ Proceeding for Relief ”); (C) become the subject of any Proceeding for Relief which is not dismissed within 90 days of its filing or entry or (D) die or suffer a legal disability (if Tenant, guarantor, or surety is an individual) or be dissolved or otherwise fail to maintain its legal existence (if Tenant, guarantor or surety is a corporation, partnership or other entity).

 

(g)          Estoppel Certificate or Subordination Agreement. Tenant fails to execute any document required from Tenant under Sections 24 or 28 within 5 days after a second notice requesting such document.

 

(h)          Other Defaults . Tenant shall fail to observe, perform or comply with any provision of this Lease other than those specifically referred to in this Section 21 , and, except as otherwise expressly provided herein, such failure shall continue for a period of 10 days after written notice thereof from Landlord to Tenant.

 

Any notice given under Section 21(h) hereof shall: (i) specify the alleged default, (ii) demand that Tenant cure such default, (iii) be in lieu of, and not in addition to, or shall be deemed to be, any notice required under any provision of applicable law, and (iv) not be deemed a forfeiture or a termination of this Lease unless Landlord elects otherwise in such notice; provided that if the nature of Tenant’s default pursuant to Section 21(h) is such that it cannot be cured by the payment of money and reasonably requires more than 10 days to cure, then Tenant shall not be deemed to be in default if Tenant commences such cure within said 10 day period and thereafter diligently prosecutes the same to completion; provided , however , that such cure shall be completed no later than 30 days from the date of Landlord’s notice.

 

22.          Landlord's Remedies .

 

(a)          Payment By Landlord; Interest . Upon a Default by Tenant hereunder, Landlord may, without waiving or releasing any obligation of Tenant hereunder, make such payment or perform such act. All sums so paid or incurred by Landlord, together with interest thereon (from the date such sums were paid or incurred, at the annual rate (the “ Default Rate ”) equal to the Prime Rate + 4% (but in no event less than 12% or more than the maximum rate permitted under applicable law)) shall be payable to Landlord on demand as additional Rent. Nothing herein shall be construed to create or impose a duty on Landlord to mitigate any damages resulting from Tenant’s Default hereunder. As used herein, the term “ Prime Rate ” shall mean the highest prime rate (or base rate) reported in the Money Rates column or section of The Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition) published from time to time, as the rate in effect for corporate loans at large U.S. money center commercial banks (whether or not such rate has actually been charged by any such bank). If The Wall Street Journal ceases publication of the Prime Rate, the “ Prime Rate ” shall mean the prime rate (or base rate) announced by Citibank, N.A., New York, New York (whether or not such rate has actually been charged by such bank). If such bank discontinues the practice of announcing the Prime Rate, the “ Prime Rate ” shall mean the highest rate charged by such bank on short-term, unsecured loans to its most creditworthy large corporate borrowers.

 

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(b)         Late Payment Rent . Late payment by Tenant to Landlord of Rent and other sums due will cause Landlord to incur costs not contemplated by this Lease, the exact amount of which will be extremely difficult and impracticable to ascertain. Such costs include, but are not limited to, processing and accounting charges and late charges which may be imposed on Landlord under any Mortgage covering the Premises. Therefore, if any installment of Rent due from Tenant is not received by Landlord within 5 days after the date such payment is due, Tenant shall pay to Landlord an additional sum of 6% of the overdue Rent as a late charge. The parties agree that this late charge represents a fair and reasonable estimate of the costs Landlord will incur by reason of late payment by Tenant. In addition to the late charge, Rent not paid when due and remaining unpaid on the 5 th day after it first became due shall bear interest at the Default Rate from the date it first became due until paid.

 

(c)          Remedies . Upon and during the continuance of a Default, Landlord, at its option, without further notice or demand to Tenant, shall have in addition to all other rights and remedies provided in this Lease, at law or in equity, the option to pursue any one or more of the following remedies, each and all of which shall be cumulative and nonexclusive, without any notice or demand whatsoever. No cure, in whole or in part, of such Default by Tenant after Landlord has taken any action (beyond giving Tenant notice of such Default) to pursue any remedy provided for herein (including retaining counsel to file an action or otherwise pursue any remedies) shall in any way affect Landlord’s right to pursue such remedy or any other remedy provided Landlord herein or under law or in equity, unless Landlord, in its sole discretion, elects to waive such Default.

 

(i)           This Lease and the Term and estate hereby granted are subject to the limitation that whenever a Default shall have happened and be continuing, Landlord shall have the right, at its election, then or thereafter while any such Default shall continue and notwithstanding the fact that Landlord may have some other remedy hereunder or at law or in equity, to give Tenant written notice of Landlord’s intention to terminate this Lease on a date specified in such notice, which date shall be not less than 5 days after the giving of such notice, and upon the date so specified, this Lease and the estate hereby granted shall expire and terminate with the same force and effect as if the date specified in such notice were the date hereinbefore fixed for the expiration of this Lease, and all right of Tenant hereunder shall expire and terminate, and Tenant shall be liable as hereinafter in this Section 22(c) provided. If any such notice is given, Landlord shall have, on such date so specified, the right of re-entry and possession of the Premises and the right to remove all persons and property therefrom and to store such property in a warehouse or elsewhere at the risk and expense, and for the account, of Tenant. Should Landlord elect to re-enter as herein provided or should Landlord take possession pursuant to legal proceedings or pursuant to any notice provided for by law, Landlord may from time to time re-let the Premises or any part thereof for such term or terms and at such rental or rentals and upon such terms and conditions as Landlord may deem advisable, with the right to make commercially reasonable alterations in and repairs to the Premises.

 

(ii)          In the event of any termination of this Lease as in this Section 22 provided or as required or permitted by law or in equity, Tenant shall forthwith quit and surrender the Premises to Landlord, and Landlord may, without further notice, enter upon, re-enter, possess and repossess the same by summary proceedings, ejectment or otherwise, and again have, repossess and enjoy the same as if this Lease had not been made, and in any such event neither Tenant nor any person claiming through or under Tenant by virtue of any law or an order of any court shall be entitled to possession or to remain in possession of the Premises. Landlord, at its option, notwithstanding any other provision of this Lease, shall be entitled to recover from Tenant, as and for liquidated damages, the sum of;

 

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(A)          all Base Rent, Additional Rent and other amounts payable by Tenant hereunder then due or accrued and unpaid: and

 

(B)          the amount equal to the aggregate of all unpaid Base Rent and Additional Rent which would have been payable if this Lease had not been terminated prior to the end of the Term then in effect, discounted to its then present value in accordance with accepted financial practice using a rate of 5% per annum, for loss of the bargain; and

 

(C)          all other damages and expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expenses), if any, which Landlord shall have sustained by reason of the breach of any provision of this Lease; less

 

(D)          the net proceeds of any re-letting actually received by Landlord.

 

(iii)         Nothing herein contained shall limit or prejudice the right of Landlord, in any bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding, to prove for and obtain as liquidated damages by reason of such termination an amount equal to the maximum allowed by any bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, or to prove for and obtain as liquidated damages by reason of such termination, an amount equal to the maximum allowed by any statute or rule of law whether such amount shall be greater or less than the excess referred to above.

 

(iv)         Nothing in this Section 22 shall be deemed to affect the right of either party to indemnifications pursuant to this Lease.

 

(v)          If Landlord terminates this Lease upon the occurrence of a Default, Tenant will quit and surrender the Premises to Landlord or its agents, and Landlord may, without further notice, enter upon, re-enter and repossess the Premises by summary proceedings, ejectment or otherwise. The words “enter”, “re-enter”, and “re-entry” are not restricted to their technical legal meanings.

 

(vi)         If either party shall be in default in the observance or performance of any provision of this Lease, and an action shall be brought for the enforcement thereof in which it shall be determined that such party was in default, the party in default shall pay to the other all fees, costs and other expenses which may become payable as a result thereof or in connection therewith, including attorneys’ fees and expenses.

 

(vii)        If Tenant shall default in the keeping, observance or performance of any covenant, agreement, term, provision or condition herein contained, Landlord, without thereby waiving such default, may perform the same for the account and at the expense of Tenant (a) immediately or at any time thereafter and without notice in the case of emergency or in case such default will result in a violation of any legal or insurance requirements, or in the imposition of any lien against all or any portion of the Premises, and (b) in any other case if such default continues after any applicable cure period provided in Section 21 . All reasonable costs and expenses incurred by Landlord in connection with any such performance by it for the account of Tenant and all reasonable costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees and disbursements incurred by Landlord in any action or proceeding (including any summary dispossess proceeding) brought by Landlord to enforce any obligation of Tenant under this Lease and/or the right of Landlord in or to the Premises, shall be paid by Tenant to Landlord within 10 days after demand.

 

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(viii)       Intentionally Deleted.

 

(ix)          Nothing contained in this Lease shall be construed as limiting or precluding the recovery by Landlord against Tenant of any sums or damages to which, in addition to the damages particularly provided above, Landlord may lawfully be entitled by reason of any default hereunder on the part of Tenant. Anything in this Lease to the contrary notwithstanding, during the continuation of any default by Tenant, Tenant shall not be entitled to exercise any rights or options, or to receive any funds or proceeds being held, under or pursuant to this Lease.

 

(x)           Tenant waives and surrenders all right and privilege that Tenant might have under or by reason of any present or future law to redeem the Premises or to have a continuance of this Lease after Tenant is dispossessed or ejected therefrom by process of law or under the terms of this Lease or after any termination of this Lease. Tenant also waives the provisions of any law relating to notice and/or delay in levy of execution in case of any eviction or dispossession for nonpayment of rent, and the provisions of any successor or other law of like import.

 

(xi)          Except as otherwise provided in this Section 22 , no right or remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to Landlord is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every right and remedy shall be cumulative and in addition to any other legal or equitable right or remedy given hereunder, or now or hereafter existing. No waiver of any provision of this Lease shall be deemed to have been made unless expressly so made in writing. Landlord shall be entitled, to the extent permitted by law, to seek injunctive relief in case of the violation, or attempted or threatened violation, of any provision of this Lease, or to seek a decree compelling observance or performance of any provision of this Lease, or to seek any other legal or equitable remedy.

 

(xii)         Landlord may continue to collect Rent as the same becomes due without terminating this Lease and without waiving any other rights or remedies Landlord may have.

 

(xiii)        Anything contained herein to the contrary notwithstanding, if any termination of this Lease shall be stayed by order of any court having jurisdiction over any proceeding related to an insolvency event described herein, or by federal or state statute, then, following the expiration of any such stay, or if the trustee appointed in any such proceeding, Tenant or Tenant as debtor-in-possession shall fail to assume Tenant's obligations under this Lease within the period prescribed therefor by law (or within 90 days after entry of the order for relief if no such period is prescribed by law) or such other period as may be allowed by the court, or if said trustee, Tenant or Tenant as debtor-in-possession shall fail to provide adequate protection of Landlord's right, title and interest in and to the Premises or adequate assurance of the complete and continuous future performance of Tenant's obligations under this Lease, Landlord, to the extent permitted by law or by leave of the court having jurisdiction over such proceeding, shall have the right, at its election, to terminate this Lease on 5 days' notice to Tenant, Tenant as debtor-in-possession or said trustee and upon the expiration of said 5 day period this Lease shall cease and expire as aforesaid and Tenant, Tenant as debtor-in-possession or said trustee shall promptly quit and surrender the Premises as aforesaid.

 

(xiv)       Except as expressly provided herein, none of Landlord or any Landlord Party shall be liable for consequential damages hereunder.

 

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23.          Assignment and Subletting .

 

(a)           General Prohibition . Without Landlord’s prior written consent subject to and on the conditions described in this Section 23 , Tenant shall not, directly or indirectly, voluntarily or by operation of law, assign this Lease or sublease the Premises or any part thereof or mortgage, pledge, or hypothecate its leasehold interest or grant any concession or license within the Premises, and any attempt to do any of the foregoing shall be void and of no effect. If Tenant is a corporation, partnership or limited liability company, the shares or other ownership interests thereof which are not actively traded upon a stock exchange or in the over-the-counter market, a transfer or series of related or unrelated transfers whereby 25% or more of the issued and outstanding shares or other direct or indirect ownership interests of such corporation, partnership or limited liability company are, or voting control is, transferred (but excepting transfers upon deaths of individual owners) from a person or persons or entity or entities which were owners thereof at the time of execution of this Lease to persons or entities who were not owners of at least the same percentage of the shares or other ownership interests of the corporation, partnership or limited liability company at the time of execution of this Lease, shall be deemed an assignment of this Lease requiring the consent of Landlord as provided in this Section 23 . Notwithstanding the foregoing, any public offering of shares or other ownership interest in Tenant shall not be deemed an assignment.

 

(b)           If this Lease is assigned to any person or entity pursuant to the provisions of 11 U.S.C. Section 101 et seq. , or any successor statute (the “ Bankruptcy Code ”), any and all monies or other consideration payable or otherwise to be delivered in connection with such assignment shall be paid or delivered to Landlord, shall be and remain the exclusive property of Landlord and shall not constitute property of Tenant or of the estate of Tenant within the meaning of the Bankruptcy Code. Any and all monies or other consideration constituting Landlord's property under the preceding sentence not paid or delivered to Landlord shall be held in trust for the benefit of Landlord and shall be promptly paid to or turned over to Landlord.

 

(c)           If Tenant desires to assign, hypothecate or otherwise transfer this Lease or to sublet the Premises, then at least 15 business days, but not more than 45 business days, before the date Tenant desires the assignment or sublease to be effective (the “ Assignment Date ”), Tenant shall give Landlord a notice (the “ Assignment Notice ”) containing such information about the proposed assignee or sublessee, including the proposed use of the Premises and any Hazardous Materials proposed to be used, stored, handled, treated, generated in or released or disposed of from the Premises, the Assignment Date, any relationship between Tenant and the proposed assignee or sublessee, and all material terms and conditions of the proposed assignment or sublease, including a copy of the proposed assignment or sublease in its final form, and such other information as Landlord may deem reasonably necessary or appropriate to its consideration as to whether to grant its consent. Landlord may, by giving written notice to Tenant within 15 business days after receipt of the Assignment Notice: (i) grant such consent, (ii) refuse such consent, in its sole and absolute discretion, if (A) the proposed assignment, hypothecation or other transfer or subletting concerns more than (together with all other then effective subleases) 50% of the Premises or (B) the proposed assignee or subtenant is a tenant of the Project or any other property owned (in whole or in part) or managed by Landlord or an subsidiary or affiliate of Landlord or any other Person that has, within the 6 months prior, initiated negotiations with Landlord regarding, or toured (or made an appointment to tour) the Project with a view to, letting any portion of the Project, (iii) refuse such consent, in its reasonable discretion, if the proposed subletting concerns (together with all other then effective subleases) 50% or less of the Premises (provided that Landlord shall further have the right to review and approve or disapprove the proposed form of sublease prior to the effective date of any such subletting), (iv) sublease such portion of the Premises from the Tenant on the terms described in the Assignment Notice., or (v) terminate this Lease with respect to the space described in the Assignment Notice as of the Assignment Date (an “ Assignment Termination ”). If Landlord delivers notice of its election to exercise an Assignment Termination, Tenant shall have the right to withdraw such Assignment Notice by written notice to Landlord of such election within 5 business days after Landlord’s notice electing to exercise the Assignment Termination. If Tenant withdraws such Assignment Notice, this Lease shall continue in full force and effect. If Tenant does not withdraw such Assignment Notice, this Lease, and the term and estate herein granted, shall terminate as of the Assignment Date with respect to the space described in such Assignment Notice. No failure of Landlord to exercise any such option to terminate this Lease, or to deliver a timely notice in response to the Assignment Notice, shall be deemed to be Landlord’s consent to the proposed assignment, sublease or other transfer. Tenant shall reimburse Landlord for all of Landlord’s reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in connection with its consideration of any Assignment Notice. Any Person to which this Lease is assigned pursuant to the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code shall be deemed without further act or deed to have assumed all of the obligations arising under this Lease on and after the date of such assignment.

 

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(d)          If Tenant assumes this Lease and proposes to assign the same pursuant to the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code to any Person who shall have made a bona fide offer to accept an assignment of this Lease on terms acceptable to Tenant, then notice of such proposed assignment shall be given to Landlord by Tenant no later than 20 days after receipt by Tenant, but in any event no later than 10 days prior to the date that Tenant shall make application to a court of competent jurisdiction for authority and approval to enter into such assignment and assumption. Such notice shall set forth (i) the name and address of such Person, (ii) all of the terms and conditions of such offer, and (iii) adequate assurance of future performance by such Person under the Lease as set forth below, including, without limitation, the assurance referred to in Section 365(b)(3) of the Bankruptcy Code. Landlord shall have the prior right and option, to be exercised by notice to Tenant given at any time prior to the effective date of such proposed assignment, to accept an assignment of this Lease upon the same terms and conditions and for the same consideration, if any, as the bona fide offer made by such Person, less any brokerage commissions which would otherwise be payable by Tenant out of the consideration to be paid by such Person in connection with the assignment of this Lease.

 

(e)          The term “adequate assurance of future performance” as used in this Lease shall mean that any proposed assignee shall, among other things, (i) deposit with Landlord on the assumption of this Lease a sum equal to 12 monthly installments of the then Base Rent as security for the faithful performance and observance by such assignee of the terms and obligations of this Lease, (ii) furnish Landlord with financial statements of such assignee for the prior 3 fiscal years, as finally determined after an audit and certified as correct by a certified public accountant, which financial statements shall show (A) net annual operating income of at least 8 times the then annual Base Rent for each of such 3 years and (B) a net worth of at least 10 times the aggregate Base Rent payable during the remaining term of the Lease, (iii) grant to Landlord a security interest in such property of the proposed assignee as Landlord shall deem necessary to secure such assignee's future performance under this Lease, and (iv) provide such other information or take such action as Landlord, in its reasonable judgment shall determine is necessary to provide adequate assurance of the performance by such assignee of its obligations under this Lease.

 

(f)          If, at any time after the originally named Tenant herein may have assigned Tenant's interest in this Lease, this Lease shall be disaffirmed or rejected in any insolvency proceeding of the types described herein, or in any similar proceeding, or in the event of termination of this Lease by reason of any such proceeding or by reason of lapse of time following notice of termination based upon any Event of Default, each prior Tenant, including, without limitation, the originally named Tenant, upon request of Landlord given within 30 days next following any such disaffirmance, rejection or termination (and actual notice thereof to Landlord in the event of a disaffirmance or rejection or in the event of termination other than by act of Landlord), shall (i) pay to Landlord all Fixed Rent and other items of Rental due and owing by the assignee to Landlord under this Lease to and including the date of such disaffirmance, rejection or termination, and (ii) as “tenant”, enter into a new lease with Landlord of the Premises for a term commencing on the effective date of such disaffirmance, rejection or termination and ending on the Expiration Date, unless sooner terminated as in such lease provided, at the same Fixed Rent and upon the then executory terms, covenants and conditions as are contained in this Lease, except that (A) Tenant's rights under the new lease shall be subject to the possessory rights of the assignee under this Lease and the possessory rights of any person claiming through or under such assignee or by virtue of any statute or of any order of any court, (B) such new lease shall require that Tenant shall cure all defaults existing under this Lease with due diligence, and (C) such new lease shall require Tenant to pay all items of Rental reserved in this Lease which, had this Lease not been so disaffirmed, rejected or terminated, would have accrued after the date of such disaffirmance, rejection or termination with respect to any period prior thereto. If any such prior Tenant shall default in its obligation to enter into said new lease for a period of 10 days next following Landlord's request therefor, then, in addition to all other rights and remedies by reason of such default, either at law or in equity, Landlord shall have the same rights and remedies against such Tenant as if such Tenant had entered into such new lease and such new lease had thereafter been terminated as of the commencement date thereof by reason of such Tenant's default thereunder.

 

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(g)           Additional Conditions . As a condition to any such assignment or subletting, whether or not Landlord’s consent is required, Landlord may require:

 

(i)           that any assignee or subtenant agree, in writing at the time of such assignment or subletting, that if Landlord gives such party notice that Tenant is in default under this Lease, such party shall thereafter make all payments otherwise due Tenant directly to Landlord, which payments will be received by Landlord without any liability except to credit such payment against those due under this Lease, and any such third party shall agree to attorn to Landlord or its successors and assigns should this Lease be terminated for any reason; provided , however , in no event shall Landlord or its successors or assigns be obligated to accept such attornment;

 

(ii)          a list of Hazardous Materials, certified by the proposed assignee or sublessee to be true and correct, which the proposed assignee or sublessee intends to use, store, handle, treat, generate in, release or dispose of from the Premises, together with copies of all documents relating to such use, storage, handling, treatment, generation, release or disposal of Hazardous Materials by the proposed assignee or subtenant in the Premises or on the Project, prior to the proposed assignment or subletting, including, without limitation: permits; approvals; reports and correspondence; storage and management plans; plans relating to the installation of any storage tanks to be installed in or under the Project (provided, said installation of tanks shall only be permitted after Landlord has given its written consent to do so, which consent may be withheld in Landlord’s sole and absolute discretion); and all closure plans or any other documents required by any and all federal, state and local Governmental Authorities for any storage tanks installed in, on or under the Project for the closure of any such tanks. Neither Tenant nor any such proposed assignee or subtenant is required, however, to provide Landlord with any portion(s) of such documents containing information of a proprietary nature which, in and of themselves, do not contain a reference to any Hazardous Materials or hazardous activities;

 

(iii)         that the originally named Tenant herein reaffirm its continuing primary liability under this Lease; and

 

(iv)         that the assignee or subtenant remake the representations and warranties of Tenant hereunder as of the effective date of such assignment or subletting.

 

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(h)           No Release of Tenant, Sharing of Excess Rents . Notwithstanding any assignment or subletting, Tenant and any guarantor or surety of Tenant’s obligations under this Lease shall at all times remain fully and primarily responsible and liable for the payment of Rent and for compliance with all of Tenant’s other obligations under this Lease. If the Rent due and payable by a sublessee or assignee (or a combination of the rental payable under such sublease or assignment plus any bonus or other consideration therefor or incident thereto in any form) exceeds the rental payable under this Lease, (excluding however, any Rent payable under this Section 23 ), then Tenant shall be bound and obligated to pay Landlord as Additional Rent hereunder 50% of such Excess Rent within 10 days following receipt thereof by Tenant. If Tenant shall sublet the Premises or any part thereof, Tenant hereby immediately and irrevocably assigns to Landlord, as security for Tenant’s obligations under this Lease, all rent from any such subletting, and Landlord as assignee and as attorney-in-fact for Tenant, or a receiver for Tenant appointed on Landlord’s application, may collect such rent and apply it toward Tenant’s obligations under this Lease; except that, until the occurrence of a Default, Tenant shall have the right to collect such rent.

 

(i)           No Waiver . The consent by Landlord to an assignment or subletting shall not relieve Tenant or any assignees of this Lease or any sublessees of the Premises from obtaining the consent of Landlord to any further assignment or subletting nor shall it release Tenant or any assignee or sublessee of Tenant from full and primary liability under this Lease. The acceptance of Rent hereunder, or the acceptance of performance of any other term, covenant, or condition thereof, from any other person or entity shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any of the provisions of this Lease or a consent to any subletting, assignment or other transfer of the Premises.

 

(j)           Prior Conduct of Proposed Transferee. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 23 , if (i) the proposed assignee or sublessee of Tenant has been required by any prior landlord, lender or Governmental Authority to take remedial action in connection with Hazardous Materials contaminating a property, where the contamination resulted from such party’s action or use of the property in question, (ii) the proposed assignee or sublessee is subject to an enforcement order issued by any Governmental Authority in connection with the use, storage, handling, treatment, generation, release or disposal of Hazardous Materials (including, without limitation, any order related to the failure to make a required reporting to any Governmental Authority), or (iii) the risk that Landlord would be targeted as a responsible party in connection with the remediation of any pre-existing environmental condition in the vicinity of or underlying the Project would be materially increased or exacerbated by the proposed use of Hazardous Materials by such proposed assignee or sublessee, Landlord shall have the absolute right to refuse to consent to any assignment or subletting to any such party.

 

24.          Estoppel Certificate. Tenant shall, within 10 business days of written notice from Landlord, execute, acknowledge and deliver a statement in writing in any form reasonably requested by a proposed lender or purchaser, (i) certifying that this Lease is unmodified and in full force and effect (or, if modified, stating the nature of such modification and certifying that this Lease as so modified is in full force and effect) and the dates to which the rental and other charges are paid in advance, if any, (ii) acknowledging that there are not any uncured defaults on the part of Landlord hereunder, or specifying such defaults if any are claimed, and (iii) setting forth such further information with respect to the status of this Lease or the Premises as may be requested thereon. Any such statement may be relied upon by any prospective purchaser or encumbrancer of all or any portion of the real property of which the Premises are a part. Tenant’s failure to deliver such statement within such time shall, at the option of Landlord, be conclusive upon Tenant that the Lease is in full force and effect and without modification except as may be represented by Landlord in any certificate prepared by Landlord and delivered to Tenant for execution.

 

25.          Quiet Enjoyment . So long as Tenant shall perform all of the covenants and agreements herein required to be performed by Tenant, Tenant shall, subject to the terms of this Lease and the Superior Instruments, at all times during the Term, have peaceful and quiet enjoyment of the Premises against any person claiming by, through or under Landlord.

 

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26.          Prorations. All prorations required or permitted to be made hereunder shall be made on the basis of a 360 day year and 30 day months.

 

27.          Rules and Regulations . Tenant shall, at all times during the Term and any extension thereof, comply with all reasonable rules and regulations at any time or from time to time established by Landlord covering use of the Premises and the Project (the “ Rules and Regulations ”). The current Rules and Regulations are attached hereto as Exhibit E . If there is any conflict between said Rules and Regulations and other provisions of this Lease, the terms and provisions of this Lease shall control. Landlord shall not have any liability or obligation for the breach of any Rules or Regulations by other tenants in the Project and shall not enforce such Rules and Regulations in a discriminatory manner.

 

28.          Subordination .

 

(a)           The following capitalized terms, whenever used in this Lease, shall have the respective meanings ascribed to such terms as follows: (i) “ Superior Instruments ” shall mean each of the Ground Lease, the IDA Lease Documents, and any Superior Lease or Mortgage, the Operating Agreement (as defined in the Ground Lease) and all matters to which any of the foregoing are subordinate; (ii) “ Ground Lease ” shall mean that certain Agreement of Lease, dated as of December 29, 2006, between New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, a New York not-for-profit corporation, as landlord, and Landlord, as tenant, entered into in respect of the Project and as the same may be further amended or otherwise modified; (iii) “ Ground Landlord ” shall mean the then landlord under the Ground Lease; (iv) “ IDA Lease Documents ” shall mean, collectively, (A) that certain IDA Lease Agreement between Landlord, as landlord, and The New York City Industrial Development Agency (“ IDA ”), as tenant, dated as of December 1, 2006, entered into in respect of the Project and as the same may be further amended or otherwise modified, and (B) that certain Lease Agreement (the “ IDA Lease ”), between IDA, as landlord, and Landlord as tenant, dated as of December 1, 2006 entered into in respect of the Project and as the same may be further amended or otherwise modified; (v) “ Superior Leases ” shall mean the leases to which this Lease is subject and subordinate; (vi) “ Superior Lessor ” shall mean the lessor under a Superior Lease; (vii) “ Superior Party ” shall mean each of the Ground Landlord, any Superior Lessor, any Mortgagee and the City of New York; (viii) “ Mortgage ” shall mean any mortgage, deed of trust, security assignment and other encumbrance; and (ix) “ Mortgagee ” shall mean the Holder or Holders (including the agent for any lending syndicate) of a Mortgage and shall be deemed to include the beneficiary under a deed of trust.

 

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(b)           This Lease and Tenant’s interest and rights hereunder are hereby made and shall be subject and subordinate at all times to the Superior Instruments and to the lien of any Mortgage now existing or hereafter created on or against the Project or the Premises, and all amendments, restatements, renewals, modifications, consolidations, refinancing, assignments and extensions thereof, without the necessity of any further instrument or act on the part of Tenant; provided , however that so long as there is no Default hereunder, Tenant’s right to possession of the Premises shall not be disturbed by the Holder of any such Mortgage. Tenant agrees, at the election of the Holder of any such Mortgage, to attorn to any such Holder substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit I attached hereto. Tenant agrees upon demand to execute, acknowledge and deliver such instruments, confirming such subordination, and such instruments of attornment as shall be requested by any such Holder, provided any such instruments contain appropriate non-disturbance provisions assuring Tenant’s quiet enjoyment of the Premises as set forth in Section 25 hereof. Tenant hereby appoints Landlord attorney in fact for Tenant irrevocably (such power being coupled with an interest) to execute, acknowledge and deliver any such instrument and instruments for and in the name of Tenant and to cause any such instrument to be recorded. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any such Holder may at any time subordinate its Mortgage to this Lease, without Tenant’s consent, by notice in writing to Tenant, and thereupon this Lease shall be deemed prior to such Mortgage without regard to their respective dates of execution, delivery or recording and in that event such Holder shall have the same rights with respect to this Lease as though this Lease had been executed prior to the execution, delivery and recording of such Mortgage and had been assigned to such Holder. If (i) in connection with obtaining financing for or condominiumizing of the Project, or of any Superior Lease, a banking, insurance or other Superior Party shall request reasonable modifications in this Lease as a condition to such financing or condominiumizing and/or (ii) the provisions of any Superior Instruments require Tenant to deliver any instruments or acknowledgements, Tenant will not unreasonably withhold its consent thereto and/or unreasonably condition or delay the delivery thereof, as the case may be, provided that such modifications and/or instruments or acknowledgements, in either instance, do not (A) extend or shorten the Term, (B) reduce the usable area of the Premises, (C) increase the Base Rent or any Additional Rent (D) except to a de minimis extent, otherwise increase the obligations of Tenant or the rights of Landlord under this Lease or (E) except to a de minimis extent, otherwise decrease the obligations of Landlord or the rights of Tenant under this Lease. At Ground Landlord's option, on the termination of the Ground Lease pursuant to an event of default by Landlord as the tenant thereunder, the Tenant shall attorn to, or shall enter into a direct lease on terms identical to the Lease with, Ground Landlord for the balance of the unexpired term of this Lease.

 

(c)           By its execution and delivery of this Lease, Tenant expressly acknowledges and agrees that it shall comply, and cause its agents, employees, contractors, subcontractors, subtenants, operators, licensees, franchisees, concessionaires or other occupants of the Premises to comply, fully and faithfully at all times, to the extent applicable to the Premises, with all terms, covenants and conditions of the Superior Instruments of which Tenant has been given notice from time to time and which by their terms are applicable to a space lease of all or any portion of the Project (collectively, “ Tenant’s Superior Instrument Obligations ”), as more particularly described on Exhibit M attached hereto, such acknowledgment and agreement being a material inducement to Landlord’s execution and delivery of this Lease and leasing of the Premises to Tenant. Tenant further acknowledges and agrees that, pursuant to the Ground Lease, any act or omission of Tenant or any of its agents, employees, contractors, subcontractors, subtenants, operators, licensees, franchisees, concessionaires or other occupants of the Premises that violates any provision of the Ground Lease may be deemed to be a violation of such provision by Landlord as the tenant under the Ground Lease.

 

(d)           Tenant acknowledges and agrees that, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Landlord may modify or amend this Lease from time to time in order to avoid the occurrence of a default under the Superior Instruments, provided such modification or amendment does not (i) extend or shorten the Term, (ii) reduce the usable area of the Premises, (iii) increase the Base Rent or any Additional Rent (iv) except to a de minimis extent, otherwise increase the obligations of Tenant or the rights of Landlord under this Lease or (v) except to a de minimis extent, otherwise decrease the obligations of Landlord or the rights of Tenant under this Lease. Tenant shall promptly execute any such modification or amendment to this Lease.

 

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29.          Surrender .

 

(a)           Upon the expiration of the Term or earlier termination of Tenant’s right of possession, Tenant shall surrender the Premises to Landlord in the same condition as received, subject to any Alterations or Installations permitted by Landlord to remain in the Premises, free of Hazardous Materials brought upon, kept, used, stored, handled, treated, generated in, or released or disposed of from, the Premises by any person other than a Landlord Party (collectively, “ Tenant HazMat Operations ”) and with all Hazardous Materials Clearances in place, and in broom clean condition, ordinary wear and tear and casualty loss and condemnation (which are covered by Sections 19 and 20 ) excepted. At least 3 months prior to the surrender of the Premises, Tenant shall deliver to Landlord a narrative description of the actions proposed (or required by any Governmental Authority) to be taken by Tenant in order to surrender the Premises (including any Installations permitted by Landlord to remain in the Premises) at the expiration or earlier termination of the Term, free from any residual impact from the Tenant HazMat Operations and otherwise released for unrestricted use and occupancy (the “ Surrender Plan ”). Such Surrender Plan shall be accompanied by a current listing of (i) all Hazardous Materials licenses and permits held by or on behalf of any Tenant Party with respect to the Premises, and (ii) all Hazardous Materials used, stored, handled, treated, generated, released or disposed of from the Premises, and shall be subject to the review and approval of Landlord’s environmental consultant. In connection with the review and approval of the Surrender Plan, upon the request of Landlord, Tenant shall deliver to Landlord or its consultant such additional non-proprietary information concerning Tenant HazMat Operations as Landlord shall request. On or before such surrender, Tenant shall deliver to Landlord evidence that the approved Surrender Plan shall have been satisfactorily completed and Landlord shall have the right to cause Landlord’s environmental consultant to inspect the Premises and perform such additional procedures as may be deemed reasonably necessary to confirm that the Premises are, as of the effective date of such surrender or early termination of this Lease, free from any residual impact from Tenant HazMat Operations. Landlord shall have the unrestricted right to deliver such Surrender Plan and any report by Landlord’s environmental consultant with respect to the surrender of the Premises to third parties.

 

(b)           If Tenant shall fail to prepare or submit a Surrender Plan approved by Landlord, or if Tenant shall fail to complete the approved Surrender Plan, or if such Surrender Plan, whether or not approved by Landlord, shall fail to adequately address any residual effect of Tenant HazMat Operations in, on or about the Premises, such failure shall be deemed a failure to vacate in accordance with this Lease, and Landlord shall retain all remedies available under this Lease, at law or equity including, without limitation, the right to collect rent on a holdover basis, and Landlord shall have the right to take such actions as Landlord may deem reasonable or appropriate to assure that the Premises and the Project are surrendered free from any residual impact from Tenant HazMat Operations, the cost of which actions shall be reimbursed by Tenant as Additional Rent, without regard to the limitation set forth in the first paragraph of this Section 29 .

 

(c)           Prior to the expiration of the Term, Tenant shall immediately return to Landlord all keys and/or access cards to parking facilities, the Project, restrooms or all or any portion of the Premises furnished to or otherwise procured by Tenant. If any such access card or key is lost, Tenant shall pay to Landlord, at Landlord’s election, either the cost of replacing such lost access card or key or the cost of reprogramming the access security system in which such access card was used or changing the lock or locks opened by such lost key. Any Tenant’s Property, Alterations and property not so removed by Tenant as permitted or required herein shall be deemed abandoned and may be stored, removed, and disposed of by Landlord at Tenant’s expense, and Tenant waives all claims against Landlord for any damages resulting from Landlord’s retention and/or disposition of such property. All obligations of Tenant hereunder not fully performed as of the termination of the Term, including the obligations of Tenant under Section 31 hereof, shall survive the expiration or earlier termination of the Term, including, without limitation, indemnity obligations, payment obligations with respect to Rent and obligations concerning the condition and repair of the Premises.

 

30.          Waiver of Jury Trial; Consent to Jurisdiction; Prohibited Parties .

 

(a)           TENANT AND LANDLORD WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY OR TO HAVE A JURY PARTICIPATE IN RESOLVING ANY DISPUTE, WHETHER SOUNDING IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, BETWEEN LANDLORD AND TENANT ARISING OUT OF THIS LEASE OR ANY OTHER INSTRUMENT, DOCUMENT, OR AGREEMENT EXECUTED OR DELIVERED IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR THE TRANSACTIONS RELATED HERETO.

 

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(b)           Landlord and Tenant each hereby (i) irrevocably and unconditionally consents and submits to the jurisdiction of any Federal, state, county or municipal court sitting in the County and State of New York in respect to any action or proceeding concerning any matters arising out of or in any way relating to this Lease; (ii) irrevocably waives all objections as to venue and any and all rights it may have to seek a change of venue with respect to any such action or proceedings if the same is brought in the County of New York ; (iii) agrees that this Lease and the rights and obligations of the parties shall be governed by and construed, and all actions, proceedings and all controversies and disputes arising under or of or relating to this Lease shall be resolved in accordance with the internal substantive laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be wholly performed within the State of New York, (iv) waives any defense to any action or proceeding granted by the laws of any other country or jurisdiction unless such defense is also allowed by the laws of the State of New York and (v) agrees that any final judgment rendered against it in any such action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in any other jurisdiction by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law. Tenant hereby represents that it is subject to service of process in the State of New York and covenants that it will remain so subject for the term of this Agreement. If for any reason Tenant should cease to be so subject to service of process in the State of New York, Tenant hereby designates and appoints Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo P.C., 666 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10017, as its agent upon whom may be served all process, pleadings, notices or other papers which may be served upon Tenant as a result of any of its obligations under this Agreement, and if such agent shall cease to act or otherwise cease to be subject to service of process in the State of New York, Tenant designates and appoints the Secretary of State of New York as its agent for service; provided, however, that the serving of such process, pleadings, notices or other papers shall not constitute a condition to Tenant's obligations hereunder. For the term of this Agreement, Tenant's agent designated herein shall accept and acknowledge in Tenant's behalf service of any and all process in any such suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court. Tenant agrees and consents that any such service of process upon such agents and written notice of such service to the Lessee in the manner set forth herein shall be taken and held to be valid personal service upon Tenant whether or not Tenant shall then be doing, or at any time shall have done, business within the State of New York and that any such service of process shall be of the same force and validity as if service were made upon Tenant according to the laws governing the validity and requirements of such service in the State of New York, and waive all claim of error by reason of any such service. Such agents shall not have any power or authority to enter into any appearance or to file any pleadings in connection with any suit, action or other legal proceedings against Tenant or to conduct the defense of any such suit, action or any other legal proceeding except as expressly authorized by Tenant.

 

(c)           Tenant represents and warrants to Landlord that (i) it and each Affiliate or Principal directly or indirectly owning an interest in it is not a Prohibited Entity (as defined in Section 30(d) ), (ii) none of the funds or other assets of it constitute property of, or are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by, any Person (as defined in Section 30(d) ) on the List (as defined in Section 30(d) ), (iii) no Person on the List has any interest of any nature whatsoever in it (whether directly or indirectly), and (iv) none of its funds have been derived from any unlawful activity with the result that the investment in it is prohibited by law or that this Lease is in violation of law. Tenant covenants and agrees (I) to comply with all Legal Requirements relating to money laundering, anti-terrorism, trade embargos and economic sanctions, now or hereafter in effect, (II) to immediately notify the other in writing if any of the representations, warranties or covenants set forth in this Section 30(c) are no longer true or have been breached or if it has a reasonable basis to believe that they may no longer be true or have been breached, (III) not to use funds from any Person on the List to make any payment due to Landlord under this Lease and (IV) at the request of the other, to provide such information as may be reasonably requested by Landlord to determine the other’s compliance with the terms hereof. Tenant hereby acknowledges and agrees that inclusion on the List of Tenant or any Affiliate or Principal of Tenant at any time during this Lease Term shall be a material default of this Lease. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, Tenant shall not permit the Premises or any portion thereof to be used or occupied by any Person on the List (on a permanent, temporary or transient basis), and any such use or occupancy of the Premises by any such Person shall be a material default of this Lease. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 30(c) , so long as Landlord or its ultimate parent is a company whose capital stock is traded on a recognized public exchange, Landlord makes no representations or warranties as to the persons or entities owning an interest in Landlord.

 

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(d)           The following capitalized terms, whenever used in this Lease, shall have the respective meanings ascribed to such terms as follows: (i) “ Prohibited Entity ” shall mean (A) any Prohibited Person or (B) any Person that is identified on the List; (ii) “ Prohibited Person ” shall mean (A) any Person (1) that is in default, after notice and beyond the expiration of any applicable cure period, of such Person’s obligations under any material written agreement with the City, the State of New York or any of their instrumentalities, or (2) that directly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with a Person that is in default, after notice and beyond the expiration of any applicable cure period, of such Person’s obligations under any material written agreement with the City, the State of New York or any of their instrumentalities, unless, in each instance, such default or breach either (a) has been waived in writing by the City, the State of New York or any of their instrumentalities as the case may be, or (b) is being disputed in a court of law, administrative proceeding, arbitration or other forum, or (c) is cured within 30 days after a determination and notice to Tenant from Landlord that such Person is a Prohibited Person as a result of such default; (B) any Person that is an Organized Crime Figure; (C) any government, or any Person that is directly or indirectly controlled (rather than only regulated) by a government, that is finally determined to be in violation of (including, but not limited to, any participant in an international boycott in violation of) the Export Administration Act of 1979, as amended, or any successor statute, or the regulations issued pursuant thereto, or any government that is, or any Person that, directly or indirectly, is controlled (rather than only regulated) by a government that is subject to the regulations or controls thereof; (D) any government, or any Person that, directly or indirectly, is controlled (rather than only regulated) by a government, the effects or the activities of which are regulated or controlled pursuant to regulations of the United States Treasury Department or executive orders of the President of the United States of America issued pursuant to the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, as amended; (E) any Person that is in default in the payment to the City of any real estate taxes, sewer rents or water charges totaling more than $10,000, unless such default is then being contested in good faith in accordance with applicable Legal Requirements or unless such default is cured within 30 days after a determination and notice to Tenant from Landlord that such Person is a Prohibited Person as a result of such default; or (F) any Person (1) that has solely owned, at any time during the 3-year period immediately preceding a determination of whether such Person is a Prohibited Person, any property which, while in the ownership of such Person, was acquired by the City by in rem tax foreclosure, other than a property in which the City has released or is in the process of releasing its interest pursuant to the Administrative Code of the City, or (2) that, directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with a Person that has owned, at any time in the 3-year period immediately preceding a determination of whether such Person is a Prohibited Person, any property which, while in the ownership of such Person, was acquired by the City by in rem tax foreclosure, other than a property in which the City has released or is in the process of releasing its interest to such Person pursuant to the Administrative Code of the City; (iii) “ Organized Crime Figure ” shall mean any Person (A) who has been convicted in a criminal proceeding for a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude or that is an organized crime figure or is reputed to have substantial business or other affiliations with an organized crime figure, or (B) who, directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, a Person who has been convicted in a criminal proceeding for a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude or that is an organized crime figure or is reputed to have substantial business or other affiliations with an organized crime figure; and, the determination as to whether any Person is an organized crime figure or is reputed to have substantial business or other affiliations with an organized crime figure shall be within the sole discretion of Landlord, which discretion shall be exercised in good faith, or as determined by the Ground Landlord in accordance with the terms of the Ground Lease; (iv) “ Person ” shall mean (A) an individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, estate, trust, unincorporated association or other business entity, (B) any federal, state, county or municipal government (or any bureau, department, agency or instrumentality thereof), and (C) any fiduciary acting in such capacity on behalf of any of the foregoing; (v) “ List ” shall mean, collectively, as updated from time to time, the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury (“ OFAC ”) and/or on any other similar list maintained by OFAC pursuant to any authorizing statute, executive order or regulation; and (vi) “ Principal ” shall mean, in respect of Tenant, any Person that is a direct or indirect owner of an equity interest in Tenant .

 

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31.          Environmental Requirements .

 

(a)           Prohibition/Compliance/Indemnity . Tenant shall not cause or permit any Hazardous Materials (as hereinafter defined) to be brought upon, kept, used, stored, handled, treated, generated in or about, or released or disposed of from, the Premises or the Project in violation of applicable Environmental Requirements (as hereinafter defined) by Tenant or any Tenant Party. If Tenant breaches the obligation stated in the preceding sentence, or if the presence of Hazardous Materials in the Premises during the Term or any holding over results in contamination of the Premises, the Project or any adjacent property, or if contamination of the Premises, the Project or any adjacent property by Hazardous Materials brought into, kept, used, stored, handled, treated, generated in or about, or released or disposed of from, the Premises by anyone other than Landlord and Landlord’s employees, agents and contractors otherwise occurs during the Term or any holding over, Tenant hereby indemnifies and shall defend and hold Landlord, its officers, directors, employees, agents and contractors harmless from any and all actions (including, without limitation, remedial or enforcement actions of any kind, administrative or judicial proceedings, and orders or judgments arising out of or resulting therefrom), costs, claims, damages (including, without limitation, punitive damages and damages based upon diminution in value of the Premises or the Project, or the loss of, or restriction on, use of the Premises or any portion of the Project), expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’, consultants’ and experts’ fees, court costs and amounts paid in settlement of any claims or actions), fines, forfeitures or other civil, administrative or criminal penalties, injunctive or other relief (whether or not based upon personal injury, property damage, or contamination of, or adverse effects upon, the environment, water tables or natural resources), liabilities or losses (collectively, “ Environmental Claims ”) which arise during or after the Term as a result of such contamination. This indemnification of Landlord by Tenant includes, without limitation, costs incurred in connection with any investigation of site conditions or any cleanup, treatment, remedial, removal, or restoration work required by any federal, state or local Governmental Authority because of Hazardous Materials present in the air, soil or ground water above, on, or under the Premises. Without limiting the foregoing, if the presence of any Hazardous Materials on the Premises, the Building, the Project or any adjacent property results in any contamination of the Premises, the Building, the Project or any adjacent property, Tenant shall promptly take all actions at its sole expense and in accordance with applicable Environmental Requirements as are necessary to return the Premises, the Building, the Project or any adjacent property to the condition existing prior to the time of such contamination, provided that Landlord’s approval of such action shall first be obtained, which approval shall not unreasonably be withheld so long as such actions would not potentially have any material adverse long-term or short-term effect on the Premises , the Building or the Project.

 

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(b)           Business. As a material inducement to Landlord to allow Tenant to use Hazardous Materials in connection with its business, Tenant agrees to deliver to Landlord prior to the Commencement Date a list identifying each type of Hazardous Materials to be brought upon, kept, used, stored, handled, treated, generated on, or released or disposed of from, the Premises and setting forth any and all governmental approvals or permits required in connection with the presence, use, storage, handling, treatment, generation, release or disposal of such Hazardous Materials on or from the Premises (“ Hazardous Materials List ”). Tenant shall deliver to Landlord an updated Hazardous Materials List at least once a year and shall also deliver an updated list before any new Hazardous Material is brought onto, kept, used, stored, handled, treated, generated on, or released or disposed of from, the Premises. Tenant shall deliver to Landlord true and correct copies of the following documents (the “ Haz Mat Documents ”) relating to the use, storage, handling, treatment, generation, release or disposal of Hazardous Materials prior to the Commencement Date, or if unavailable at that time, concurrent with the receipt from or submission to a Governmental Authority: permits; approvals; reports and correspondence; storage and management plans, notice of violations of any Legal Requirements; and a Surrender Plan (to the extent surrender in accordance with Section 29 cannot be accomplished in 3 months). Tenant is not required, however, to provide Landlord with any portion(s) of the Haz Mat Documents containing information of a proprietary nature which, in and of themselves, do not contain a reference to any Hazardous Materials or hazardous activities. It is not the intent of this Section 31(b) to provide Landlord with information which could be detrimental to Tenant’s business should such information become possessed by Tenant’s competitors.

 

(c)           Tenant Representation and Warranty . Tenant hereby represents and warrants to Landlord that (i) neither Tenant nor any of its legal predecessors has been required by any prior landlord, lender or Governmental Authority at any time to take remedial action in connection with Hazardous Materials contaminating a property which contamination was permitted by Tenant of such predecessor or resulted from Tenant’s or such predecessor’s action or use of the property in question, and (ii) Tenant is not subject to any enforcement order issued by any Governmental Authority in connection with the use, storage, handling, treatment, generation, release or disposal of Hazardous Materials (including, without limitation, any order related to the failure to make a required reporting to any Governmental Authority). If Landlord determines that this representation and warranty was not true as of the date of this lease, Landlord shall have the right to terminate this Lease in Landlord’s sole and absolute discretion.

 

(d)           Intentionally Deleted.

 

(e)           Intentionally Deleted.

 

(f)           Tenant’s Obligations . Tenant’s obligations under this Section 31 shall survive the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease. During any period of time after the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease required by Tenant or Landlord to complete the removal from the Premises of any Hazardous Materials (including, without limitation, the release and termination of any licenses or permits restricting the use of the Premises and the completion of the approved Surrender Plan), Tenant shall continue to pay the full Rent in accordance with this Lease attributable to any portion of the Premises not re-let by Landlord in Landlord’s sole discretion, which Rent shall be prorated daily.

 

(g)           Definitions. As used herein, the term “ Environmental Requirements ” means all applicable present and future statutes, regulations, ordinances, rules, codes, judgments, orders or other similar enactments of any Governmental Authority regulating or relating to health, safety, or environmental conditions on, under, or about the Premises or the Project, or the environment, including without limitation, the following: the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; and all state and local counterparts thereto, and any regulations or policies promulgated or issued thereunder. As used herein, the term “ Hazardous Materials ” means and includes any substance, material, waste, pollutant, or contaminant listed or defined as hazardous or toxic, or regulated by reason of its impact or potential impact on humans, animals and/or the environment under any Environmental Requirements, asbestos and petroleum, including crude oil or any fraction thereof, natural gas liquids, liquefied natural gas, or synthetic gas usable for fuel (or mixtures of natural gas and such synthetic gas). As defined in Environmental Requirements, Tenant is and shall be deemed to be the “operator” of Tenant’s “facility” and the “owner” of all Hazardous Materials brought on the Premises by Tenant or any Tenant Party, and the wastes, by-products, or residues generated, resulting, or produced therefrom.

 

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(h)          Intentionally Deleted.

 

32.          Tenant’s Remedies/Limitation of Liability . Landlord shall not be in default hereunder unless Landlord fails to perform any of its obligations hereunder within 30 days after written notice from Tenant specifying such failure (unless such performance will, due to the nature of the obligation, require a period of time in excess of 30 days, then after such period of time as is reasonably necessary). Upon any default by Landlord, Tenant shall give notice by registered or certified mail to any Holder of a Mortgage covering the Premises and to any landlord of any lease of property in or on which the Premises are located and Tenant shall offer such Holder and/or landlord a reasonable opportunity to cure the default, including time to obtain possession of the Project by power of sale or a judicial action if the same should prove necessary to effect a cure; provided Landlord shall have furnished to Tenant in writing the names and addresses of all such persons who are to receive such notices. All obligations of Landlord hereunder shall be construed as covenants, not conditions; and, except as may be otherwise expressly provided in this Lease, Tenant may not terminate this Lease for breach of Landlord’s obligations hereunder.

 

All obligations of Landlord under this Lease will be binding upon Landlord only during the period of its ownership of the Premises and not thereafter. The term “ Landlord ” in this Lease shall mean only the owner for the time being of the Premises. Upon the transfer by such owner of its interest in the Premises, such owner shall thereupon be released and discharged from all obligations of Landlord thereafter accruing, but such obligations shall be binding during the Term upon each new owner for the duration of such owner’s ownership.

 

33.          Inspection and Access . Landlord and its agents, representatives, and contractors may enter the Premises at any reasonable time to inspect the Premises and to make such repairs as may be required or permitted pursuant to this Lease and for any other business purpose. Landlord and Landlord’s representatives may enter the Premises during business hours on not less than 48 hours advance written notice (except in the case of emergencies in which case no such notice shall be required and such entry may be at any time) for the purpose of effecting any such repairs, inspecting the Premises, showing the Premises to prospective purchasers and, during the last year of the Term, to prospective tenants or for any other business purpose. Landlord may erect a suitable sign on the Premises stating the Premises are available to let or that the Project is available for sale. Landlord may grant easements, make public dedications, designate Common Areas and create restrictions on or about the Premises, provided that no such easement, dedication, designation or restriction materially, adversely affects Tenant’s use or occupancy of the Premises for the Permitted Use. At Landlord’s request, Tenant shall execute such instruments as may be necessary for such easements, dedications or restrictions. Tenant shall at all times, except in the case of emergencies, have the right to escort Landlord or its agents, representatives, contractors or guests while the same are in the Premises, provided such escort does not materially and adversely affect Landlord’s access rights hereunder.

 

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34.         Security . Tenant acknowledges and agrees that security devices and services, if any, while intended to deter crime may not in given instances prevent theft or other criminal acts and that Landlord is not providing any security services with respect to the Premises. Tenant agrees that Landlord shall not be liable to Tenant for, and Tenant waives any claim against Landlord with respect to, any loss by theft or any other damage suffered or incurred by Tenant in connection with any unauthorized entry into the Premises or any other breach of security with respect to the Premises. Tenant shall be solely responsible for the personal safety of Tenant’s officers, employees, agents, contractors, guests and invitees while any such person is in, on or about the Premises and/or the Project. Tenant shall at Tenant’s cost obtain insurance coverage to the extent Tenant desires protection against such criminal acts. All employees, contractors and/or agents of any provider of security services to the Premises engaged by Tenant shall be prohibited from carrying firearms (e.g. handguns, rifles, shotguns, etc.). Each individual employee or independent contractor of any such service provider shall have been registered with Landlord by facsimile or mail at least 48 hours in advance of such person arriving at the Project to perform service, which registration shall require such personal information and history, and photographs, as Landlord shall reasonably require.

 

35.         Force Majeure . Landlord shall not be responsible or liable for delays in the performance of its obligations hereunder when caused by, related to, or arising out of acts of God, strikes, lockouts, or other labor disputes, vandalism, embargoes, quarantines, weather, national, regional, or local disasters, calamities, or catastrophes, inability to obtain labor or materials (or reasonable substitutes therefor) at reasonable costs or failure of, or inability to obtain, utilities necessary for performance, governmental restrictions, orders, limitations, regulations, or controls, national emergencies, delay in issuance or revocation of permits, enemy or hostile governmental action, terrorism, insurrection, riots, civil disturbance or commotion, fire or other casualty, and other causes or events beyond the reasonable control of Landlord (“ Force Majeure ”).

 

36.         Brokers, Entire Agreement, Amendment . Landlord and Tenant each represents and warrants that it has not dealt with any broker, agent or other person (collectively, “ Broker ”) in connection with this transaction and that no Broker brought about this transaction. Landlord and Tenant each hereby agree to indemnify and hold the other harmless from and against any claims by any Broker, other than the broker, if any named in this Section 36 , claiming a commission or other form of compensation by virtue of having dealt with Tenant or Landlord, as applicable, with regard to this leasing transaction.

 

37.         Limitation on Landlord’s Liability. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING SET FORTH HEREIN OR IN ANY OTHER AGREEMENT BETWEEN LANDLORD AND TENANT TO THE CONTRARY: (A) LANDLORD SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO TENANT OR ANY OTHER PERSON FOR (AND TENANT AND EACH SUCH OTHER PERSON ASSUME ALL RISK OF) LOSS, DAMAGE OR INJURY, WHETHER ACTUAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL TO: TENANT’S PERSONAL PROPERTY OF EVERY KIND AND DESCRIPTION, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION TRADE FIXTURES, EQUIPMENT, INVENTORY, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS, LABORATORY ANIMALS, PRODUCT, SPECIMENS, SAMPLES, AND/OR SCIENTIFIC, BUSINESS, ACCOUNTING AND OTHER RECORDS OF EVERY KIND AND DESCRIPTION KEPT AT THE PREMISES AND ANY AND ALL INCOME DERIVED OR DERIVABLE THEREFROM; (B) THERE SHALL BE NO PERSONAL RECOURSE TO LANDLORD FOR ANY ACT OR OCCURRENCE IN, ON OR ABOUT THE PREMISES OR ARISING IN ANY WAY UNDER THIS LEASE OR ANY OTHER AGREEMENT BETWEEN LANDLORD AND TENANT WITH RESPECT TO THE SUBJECT MATTER HEREOF AND ANY LIABILITY OF LANDLORD HEREUNDER SHALL BE STRICTLY LIMITED SOLELY TO LANDLORD’S INTEREST IN THE PROJECT OR ANY PROCEEDS FROM SALE OR CONDEMNATION THEREOF AND ANY INSURANCE PROCEEDS PAYABLE IN RESPECT OF LANDLORD’S INTEREST IN THE PROJECT OR IN CONNECTION WITH ANY SUCH LOSS; AND (C) IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY PERSONAL LIABILITY BE ASSERTED AGAINST ANY OF LANDLORD’S OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS OR CONTRACTORS. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL LANDLORD OR ANY OF LANDLORD’S OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS OR CONTRACTORS BE LIABLE FOR INJURY TO TENANT’S BUSINESS OR FOR ANY LOSS OF INCOME OR PROFIT THEREFROM.

 

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38.          Severability . If any clause or provision of this Lease is illegal, invalid or unenforceable under present or future laws, then and in that event, it is the intention of the parties hereto that the remainder of this Lease shall not be affected thereby. It is also the intention of the parties to this Lease that in lieu of each clause or provision of this Lease that is illegal, invalid or unenforceable, there be added, as a part of this Lease, a clause or provision as similar in effect to such illegal, invalid or unenforceable clause or provision as shall be legal, valid and enforceable.

 

39.          Signs; Exterior Appearance . Tenant shall not, without the prior written consent of Landlord, which may be granted or withheld in Landlord’s sole discretion: (i) attach any awnings, exterior lights, decorations, balloons, flags, pennants, banners, painting or other projection to any outside wall of the Project, (ii) use any curtains, blinds, shades or screens other than Landlord’s standard window coverings, (iii) coat or otherwise sunscreen the interior or exterior of any windows, (iv) place any bottles, parcels, or other articles on the window sills, (v) place any equipment, furniture or other items of personal property on any exterior balcony, or (vi) paint, affix or exhibit on any part of the Premises or the Project any signs, notices, window or door lettering, placards, decorations, or advertising media of any type which can be viewed from the exterior of the Premises. Interior signs on doors and the directory tablet shall be inscribed, painted or affixed for Tenant by Landlord at the sole cost and expense of Tenant, and shall be of a size, color and type acceptable to Landlord. Nothing may be placed on the exterior of corridor walls or corridor doors other than Landlord’s standard lettering. The directory tablet shall be provided exclusively for the display of the name and location of tenants of the Project.

 

40.          Zoning Rights. At all times, Landlord shall have the right, and Tenant shall not have the right, (i) to cause all or any part of the Premises and/or the zoning lot upon which the Building is located in whole or in part (hereinafter referred to solely for purposes of this Section 40 as the “ Land ”) and/or the Building, to be combined with any other land, condominium units or other premises so as to constitute the combined premises into a single zoning “lot” or “development” or “enlargement” as those terms are now, or may hereafter be, defined in the Zoning Resolution of The City of New York (the “ Zoning Resolution ”), (ii) to cause any lot, development or enlargement at any time constituting or including all or any part of the Premises, the Land or the Building to be subdivided into two or more lots, developments or enlargements, (iii) to cause development rights (whether from the Land or other premises) to be transferred to any such lot, development or enlargement, (iv) to cause other combinations, subdivisions and transfers to be effected, whether similar or dissimilar to those now permitted by law or (v) to exploit, sell, convey, lease or otherwise transfer any so called “air rights,” “air space,” “zoning rights” or “development rights” above or appurtenant to the Land and/or the Building provided that and for so long as the foregoing actions described in clauses (i) through (v) do not (a) adversely affect Tenant or Tenant’s use and enjoyment of the Premises, (b) increase the Base Rent or any Additional Rent, (c) otherwise increase the obligations of Tenant or the rights of Landlord under this Lease or (d) otherwise decrease the obligations of Landlord or the rights of Tenant under this Lease. Tenant hereby acknowledges that it is not a “party in interest” as defined in the Zoning Resolution, and shall not and cannot become a “party in interest” under any circumstances by virtue of its leasehold interest hereunder. Tenant further acknowledges that neither Tenant nor the estate or interest of Tenant hereunder would be “adversely affected” (within the meaning of the Zoning Resolution) by any development of the Land or the Building or any such combined premises nor by the filing of any declaration combining all or a part of the Land and/or the Building with any other premises and that Tenant’s estate and interest hereunder are not and would not be superior to any such declaration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that Tenant is deemed to have any of the rights disclaimed above, or is deemed to be a party in interest, Tenant hereby transfers such rights and any rights as a party in interest to Landlord. In furtherance thereof, Tenant will within 3 business days after written request by Landlord execute and deliver to Landlord a waiver of its right to join in a Declaration of Restrictions pursuant to Section 12-10 of the Zoning Resolution.

 

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41.          Excavation. In the event that an excavation, or any construction, should be undertaken in connection with the Building or other purposes upon land adjacent to the Building and/or the Project, or should be authorized to be made, Tenant shall, upon reasonable prior notice, if necessary, afford to the person or persons causing or authorized to cause such excavation or construction or other purpose, the right, for brief periods of time and in a manner so as to avoid any material interference with Tenant’s business, subject to such reasonable conditions as Tenant may reasonably impose, to enter upon the Premises for the purpose of doing such work as shall reasonably be necessary to protect or preserve the wall or walls of the Building, from injury or damage and to support them by proper foundations, pinning and/or underpinning, or otherwise.

 

42.          Employment Reporting and Requirements.

 

(a)           With regard to each annual period from July 1 through June 30 upon written request by Landlord, Tenant shall complete with regard to itself and any of its subtenants, items 1-5, 15 and 16 of the Employment and Benefits Report (with the dates therein updated to reflect the applicable Fiscal Year) attached as Exhibit P to the Ground Lease, and Tenant shall sign such report and submit it to Landlord before July 15 immediately following such annual period; and

 

(b)           Tenant shall, in good faith, consider such proposals as the City and/or City-related entities may make with regard to any jobs Tenant may seek to fill in relation to its activities on or concerning the Premises, and shall provide the City and such entities with the opportunity to (A) refer candidates who are City residents having the requisite experience for the positions in question, and/or (B) create a program to train City residents for those jobs, and to report to Ground Landlord, upon Ground Landlord’s request, regarding the status of its consideration of such proposals (it being understood that Tenant shall not be required to hire any candidate which Tenant, in good faith, considers unqualified for the applicable position).

 

(c)           Both Landlord and Ground Landlord and their respective designees shall be beneficiaries of each such agreement by Tenant. Landlord hereby reserves the right, on behalf of itself and Ground Landlord, and their respective designees, as such third party beneficiaries, to seek specific performance by Tenant, at the expense of Tenant, of the aforesaid obligations contained in this Section 42 .

 

43.          Prohibited Distinctions. Tenant covenants and agrees to be bound by the following covenants, which shall be binding for the benefit of Landlord and Ground Landlord and enforceable by Landlord and Ground Landlord against Tenant to the fullest extent permitted by law and equity:

 

(a)           Tenant (and any lessees of the Premises or any part thereof) shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws in effect from time to time prohibiting discrimination or segregation by reason of age, race, creed, religion, sex, color, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation or affectional preference, disability, or marital status (collectively, “ Prohibited Distinctions ”) in the lease or occupancy of the Premises.

 

(b)           Tenant shall not effect or execute any agreement, lease, conveyance, or other instrument whereby the lease or occupancy of the Premises, or any part thereof, is restricted upon the basis of any Prohibited Distinction.

 

(c)           Tenant (and any lessees of the Premises or any part thereof) shall include the covenants of (a) and (b) in any agreement, sublease, conveyance, or other instrument with respect to the lease or occupancy of the Premises.

 

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44.          IDA Lease Requirements . Tenant shall provide, and shall cause any subtenant or other occupant of the Premises to provide, to Landlord and to any other entity specified by Landlord in writing, the information that Landlord needs in order to satisfy the reporting requirements set forth in the provisions of the IDA Lease (excerpted on Exhibit M hereto), as the same may be modified from time to time by the governmental entities requiring the same. Tenant represents, and shall cause and subtenant or other occupant of the Premises to represent with respect to itself (in place of “Tenant”), that either: (A) Tenant’s occupancy at the Project will not result in the removal of a plant or facility of Tenant located outside of the City, but within the State of New York, to the Project or in the abandonment of one or more of such plants or facilities of such Tenant located outside of the City but within the State of New York or (B) Tenant’s location at the Project is reasonably necessary to discourage Tenant from removing its business to a location outside of the State of New York or is reasonably necessary to preserve Tenant’s competitive position in its industry.

 

45.          ICIP. Landlord hereby notifies Tenant that Landlord intends to avail itself of the Industrial and Commercial Incentive Program (“ ICIP ”). In connection therewith, all of Tenant’s construction managers, contractors and subcontractors employed in connection with construction work at the Building shall be contractually required by Tenant to comply with the New York City Department of Small Business Services/Division of Labor Services (“ DLS ”) requirements applicable to construction projects benefiting from the ICIP. Such compliance, as of the date hereof, includes the following: the submission and approval of a Construction Employment Report, attendance at a pre-construction conference with representatives of the DLS and adherence to the provisions of Article 22 of the ICIP Rules and Regulations, the provisions of New York City Charter Chapter 13-B and the provisions of Executive Order No. 50 (1980). Furthermore, at Landlord’s request, Tenant shall (A) report to Landlord the number of workers permanently engaged in employment in the Premises, the nature of each worker’s employment and, to the extent applicable, the New York City residency of each worker, (B) provide access to the Premises by employees and agents of the Department (as such term is defined in the ICIP Rules and Regulations) at all reasonable times upon reasonable advance notice, and (C) enforce the contractual obligations of Tenant’s construction managers, contractors and subcontractors to comply with the DLS requirements.

 

46.          Release of Portion(s) of the Project. Landlord, at any time and from time to time, shall have the right to subdivide, transfer title to, or enter into a ground lease or long-term net lease (a “ Partial Conveyance ”) of, or convert to a condominium form of ownership, any portion of the Project (including, for example, by transferring one or more of the Project's buildings and/or another portion or portions of the Project) to another Person not in Control of, Controlled by or under common Control with, Landlord, which such Partial Conveyance may reduce the size of the Project. In the event of such a Partial Conveyance by Landlord, Landlord and Tenant agree to enter into an amendment of this Lease in form reasonably satisfactory to Landlord and Tenant to adjust the definitions of Real Property and Project, if necessary and in accordance with the conditions set forth in this Section 46 , to describe accurately the land and improvements constituting the remaining portion of the Land and Project after such Partial Conveyance; to increase Tenant's Share, if necessary to reflect the transfer of the portion of the Land and/or the Project included in such Partial Conveyance; and to make any other changes that may be necessary or appropriate so that Tenant continues to be responsible for its other obligations, including the payment of Rental, under this Lease and to enjoy its rights and privileges under this Lease, subject to and in accordance with this Section 46 .

 

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47.          Shared Work Area .

 

(a)           General Provisions . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, Tenant shall have a license, on a non-exclusive basis in common with other tenants and users of the ninth floor of the Building, to use the Shared Work Area for the Permitted Use, in accordance with the Rules and Regulations applicable thereto and all Legal Requirements, but such access and use shall be subject to the terms of the Superior Instruments (as defined in Section 28 ). The Shared Work Area contains certain equipment, furnishings; systems, and personal property, as more particularly described on Exhibit O attached hereto (collectively, the “ Shared Work Systems ”). The license granted hereby is personal to Tenant and shall not, except as provided in the next sentence, be assigned or otherwise pledged or transferred, directly or indirectly. In the case of a Permitted Assignment, Tenant shall have no further right to use the Shared Work Area and the Shared Work Systems in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Lease; provided, however, that the following shall have the non-exclusive license to use the Shared Work Systems in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Lease: (i) a subtenant approved by Landlord in accordance with the provisions of this Lease that subleases 50% or more of the Premises, and (ii) an assignee permitted under a Permitted Assignment.

 

(b)           Relocation/Modification of Shared Work Area . Landlord shall have the right at any time and from time to time in the exercise of its sole and absolute subjective discretion to reconfigure, relocate, or modify the Shared Work Area and to revise, expand, suspend, terminate, or discontinue any of the Shared Work Systems. Landlord shall provide reasonable notice to Tenant of the relocation, suspension, termination, or discontinuance of any Shared Work Systems as long as Landlord has actual knowledge of any such relocation, suspension, termination, or discontinuance.

 

(c)           Interference . Tenant shall use the Shared Work Area and the Shared Work Systems in a manner that will not interfere with the rights of any tenants or occupants in the Building or users of the Shared Work Area or the providers of the services associated with the Shared Work Systems. Landlord assumes no responsibility for enforcing Tenant’s rights or for protecting the Shared Work Area from any person or entity, including, but not limited to, other tenants or occupants of the Building or users of the Shared Work Area.

 

(d)           Limitations . Landlord’s sole obligation for providing the Shared Work Systems shall be: (A) to provide the Shared Work Systems as is determined by Landlord in the exercise of its sole and absolute subjective discretion, and (B) to contract with one or more third parties to maintain the Shared Work Systems that are deemed by Landlord in the exercise of its sole and absolute subjective discretion to need periodic maintenance in accordance with the manufacturer’s or supplier’s standard guidelines or otherwise. During any period of replacement, repair, or maintenance of the Shared Work Systems when they are not operational (including, but not limited to, any delays thereto due to the inability to obtain parts or replacements), Landlord shall have no obligation to provide Tenant with alternative, supplemental, temporary, or back-up Shared Work Systems. Tenant acknowledges and agrees that, because the Shared Work Area and Shared Work Systems are provided for the benefit of all tenants and users of the fourth and fifth floors of the Building, Landlord may reduce the Shared Work Area and/or Shared Work Systems and/or the resources therein from time to time in response to a lack of usage by such tenants or obsolescence or similar reasons and users and may increase, replace or otherwise modify the Shared Work Area and/or Shared Work Systems and/or resources therein from time to time in response to the needs of such tenants and users. Landlord shall have no liability for any such reduction, increase, replacement or modification of the Shared Work Area and/or Shared Work Systems, and none of the foregoing shall reduce the Base Rent payable by Tenant hereunder. Tenant acknowledges and agrees that increases, replacements and/or modifications of the Shared Work Area and/or Shared Work Systems may result in an increase in Operating Expenses (SWA), and Tenant agrees to pay Tenant's Share (SWA) of any such increase in accordance with Section 47(h) below. The terms and provisions of this paragraph shall survive the expiration or earlier termination of this Lease.

 

(e)           No Warranties . Landlord makes no warranties of any kind, express or implied, with respect to the Shared Work Area and Shared Work Systems, and Landlord disclaims any such warranties. Without limiting the foregoing, Tenant expressly acknowledges and agrees that Landlord does not guaranty or warrant that the Shared Work Systems will be operational at all times, will be of sufficient capacity to accommodate Tenant’s use thereof, will be free of Hazardous Materials, or will function or perform adequately, and Landlord shall not be liable for any damages resulting from the failure of the Shared Work Systems.

 

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(f)           Other Lease Provisions . Although the Shared Work Area does not form a part of the Premises, the provisions of this Lease (A) governing Tenant’s use, operation, and enjoyment of the Premises, (B) imposing obligations on Tenant for matters occurring in, on, within, or about the Premises or arising out of the use or occupancy of the Premises (including, but not limited to, those obligations relating to insurance, indemnification, Hazardous Materials Clearance, and environmental requirements triggered by Tenant’s use of the Shared Work Area), and (C) limiting Landlord’s liability, shall apply with equal force to Tenant’s use of the Shared Work Area and the Shared Work Systems.

 

(g)           Termination . If Tenant Defaults in its obligations under this Section 47 , Landlord shall have the right, in addition to any other rights and remedies available to Landlord for a Default by Tenant, to terminate immediately Tenant’s license to use the Shared Work Area. The expiration or earlier termination of this Lease shall automatically terminate the license hereby granted to Tenant to so use the Shared Work Area.

 

(h)           Shared Work Area Operating Expenses .

 

(i)           Shared Work Area Operating Expense Payments . Landlord shall deliver to Tenant an Annual Estimate of Operating Expenses (SWA) for each calendar year during the Term, which may be revised by Landlord from time to time during such calendar year. During each month of the Term, on the same date that Base Rent is due, Tenant shall pay Landlord, as Additional Rent hereunder, an amount equal to 1/12th of Tenant's Share (SWA) of the Annual Estimate of Operating Expenses (SWA). Payments for any fractional calendar month shall be prorated.

 

(ii)          The term “ Operating Expenses (SWA) ” means all costs and expenses of maintaining, repairing, replacing and operating the Shared Work Area and the Shared Work Systems incurred or accrued each calendar year by Landlord and Tenant with respect to their respective shares.

 

(iii)         Each Annual Statement shall include (a) the total and Tenant's Share (SWA) of actual Operating Expenses (SWA) for the previous calendar year and (b) the total of Tenant’s payments in respect of Tenant's Share (SWA) of actual Operating Expenses (SWA) for such year. If Tenant's Share (SWA) of actual Operating Expenses (SWA) for such year exceeds Tenant’s payments of Tenant's Share (SWA) of Operating Expenses (SWA) for such year, then the excess shall be due and payable by Tenant as Rent within 30 days after delivery of such Annual Statement to Tenant. If Tenant's payments of Operating Expenses (SWA) for such year exceed Tenant's Share (SWA) of actual Operating Expenses (SWA) for such year, then Landlord shall pay the excess to Tenant within 30 days after delivery of such Annual Statement, except that after the expiration, or earlier termination of the Term or if Tenant is delinquent in its obligation to pay Rent, Landlord shall pay the excess to Tenant after deducting all other amounts due Landlord. Operating Expenses (SWA) for the calendar years in which Tenant’s obligation to share therein begins and ends shall be prorated.

 

48.          Miscellaneous .

 

(a)           Notices . All notices or other communications between the parties shall be in writing and shall be deemed duly given upon delivery or refusal to accept delivery by the addressee thereof if delivered in person, or upon actual receipt if delivered by reputable overnight guaranty courier, addressed and sent to the parties at their addresses set forth above. Landlord and Tenant may from time to time by written notice to the other designate another address for receipt of future notices.

 

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(b)           Joint and Several Liability . If and when included within the term “ Tenant ,” as used in this instrument, there is more than one person or entity, each shall be jointly and severally liable for the obligations of Tenant.

 

(c)           Recordation . Neither this Lease nor a memorandum of lease shall be filed by or on behalf of Tenant in any public record. Landlord may prepare and file, and upon request by Landlord Tenant will execute, a memorandum of lease. Each such memorandum shall include such matters as may be required by the Register of New York County or Section 291-c of the Real Property Law of the State of New York to be included therein so as to permit the same to be recorded.

 

(d)           Interpretation . The normal rule of construction to the effect that any ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in the interpretation of this Lease or any exhibits or amendments hereto. Words of any gender used in this Lease shall be held and construed to include any other gender, and words in the singular number shall be held to include the plural, unless the context otherwise requires. The captions inserted in this Lease are for convenience only and in no way define, limit or otherwise describe the scope or intent of this Lease, or any provision hereof, or in any way affect the interpretation of this Lease.

 

(e)           Not Binding Until Executed . The submission by Landlord to Tenant of this Lease shall have no binding force or effect, shall not constitute an option for the leasing of the Premises, nor confer any right or impose any obligations upon either party until execution of this Lease by both parties.

 

(f)           Limitations on Interest . It is expressly the intent of Landlord and Tenant at all times to comply with applicable law governing the maximum rate or amount of any interest payable on or in connection with this Lease. If applicable law is ever judicially interpreted so as to render usurious any interest called for under this Lease, or contracted for, charged, taken, reserved, or received with respect to this Lease, then it is Landlord’s and Tenant’s express intent that all excess amounts theretofore collected by Landlord be credited on the applicable obligation (or, if the obligation has been or would thereby be paid in full, refunded to Tenant), and the provisions of this Lease immediately shall be deemed reformed and the amounts thereafter collectible hereunder reduced, without the necessity of the execution of any new document, so as to comply with the applicable law, but so as to permit the recovery of the fullest amount otherwise called for hereunder.

 

(g)           Time . Time is of the essence as to the performance of Tenant’s obligations under this Lease.

 

(h)           Incorporation by Reference . All exhibits and addenda attached hereto are hereby incorporated into this Lease and made a part hereof. If there is any conflict between such exhibits or addenda and the terms of this Lease, such exhibits or addenda shall control.

 

49.          Landlord Consent .

 

(a)           If, pursuant to the terms of this Lease, any consent or approval by Landlord or Tenant is not to be unreasonably withheld or is subject to a specified standard, then in the event of a final determination that the consent or approval was unreasonably withheld or that such specified standard has been met (such that the consent or approval should have been granted), the consent or approval shall be deemed granted but the granting of the consent or approval shall be the only remedy to the party requesting or requiring the consent or approval .

 

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(b)           If any matter which is the subject of a request for consent or approval hereunder by Tenant requires the consent or approval by any Superior Party under the Superior Instruments (including, by way of example, proposed Alterations), Tenant shall submit in writing such request (together with any plans, specifications or other materials or documents necessary or appropriate in connection therewith) to Landlord, and Landlord shall, provided Tenant is not then in monetary or material non-monetary default hereunder, in each instance, beyond the expiration of any applicable notice and/or cure period, promptly forward such request to such of the foregoing parties from whom consent is required and otherwise cooperate reasonably with Tenant in requesting and seeking to obtain such required consent; and, in any such case, Landlord shall in no event be deemed to have unreasonably withheld or delayed any such request for consent or approval if any of the foregoing parties shall fail to respond to such request (unless such failure is deemed to constitute consent under the applicable Superior Instrument) or shall deny same. If Landlord shall so determine that any such matter requires the consent or approval of any of the foregoing parties, Landlord shall use good faith reasonable efforts to obtain from such parties such consent or approval (but without any obligation to pay any fee to such party unless Tenant agrees to pay the same); provided that Tenant shall submit to Landlord, upon Landlord’s request therefor, all plans, specifications or other materials, information or documentation as may be reasonably required by such parties, under the Superior Instruments in connection with each such parties’ respective consideration of such request. Tenant shall pay to Landlord, within thirty (30) days after demand therefor, as Additional Rent, all actual out-of-pocket fees, charges or other expenses Landlord may incur arising out of any such request for consent or approval. In no event shall Tenant communicate (other than through Landlord) with any Superior Party in respect of any Alterations or any other matter pertaining to this Lease.

 

50.          Hazardous Activities . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Lease, Landlord, for itself and its employees, agents and contractors, reserves the right to refuse to perform any repairs or services in any portion of the Premises which, pursuant to Tenant’s routine safety guidelines, practices or custom or prudent industry practices, require any form of protective clothing or equipment other than safety glasses. In any such case, Tenant shall contract with parties who are acceptable to Landlord, in Landlord’s reasonable discretion, for all such repairs and services, and Landlord shall, to the extent required, equitably adjust Tenant’s Share of Operating Expenses in respect of such repairs or services to reflect that Landlord is not providing such repairs or services to Tenant.

 

51.          Internet Service. It is currently anticipated that wireless internet service (“ Internet Service ”) will be available in the Common Areas and Open Space in the Project. In the event that Internet Service is so available, Tenant shall have the right, on a non-exclusive basis in common with other tenants and users of the Project, to use such Internet Service, subject to the further terms of this Section 51 .

 

(a)           Tenant acknowledges that Landlord is not the generator of Internet Service and that the availability and quality of Internet Service consequently is subject to the provision of the same to the Project by the third party provider(s) responsible for delivering same to the Project. Landlord shall have no liability for the availability, capacity, quality, continuity or character of service of Internet Service, and no abatement of Rent or other penalty shall arise due to, nor shall Landlord have any liability due to any loss, cost, claim, damage or expense arising from the availability, capacity, quality, continuity or character of service of Internet Service or any interruption, deterioration or removal of Internet Service. Tenant acknowledges that the capacity of Internet Service available for use by Tenant (if any) is part of the overall capacity of Internet Service available to the Project for use on a non-exclusive basis in common with all other tenants at the Project. Tenant agrees to limit Tenant's use of Internet Service to Tenant's reasonable share of the then-existing capacity of Internet Service, and Tenant shall not use Internet Service in a manner that interferes with any other tenant’s or user's use of such Internet Service.

 

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(b)           By accessing or using Internet Service, Tenant accepts and agrees to comply with all terms and conditions applicable thereto (including any modifications and/or additions thereto provided in connection with accessing or using Internet Service from time to time).

 

(c)           Tenant acknowledges and agrees that all information (including, without limitation, data files, written text, computer software, music, audio files or other sounds, photographs, graphics, videos or other images) which Tenant may have access to as a part of, or through Tenant's use of, Internet Service (collectively, “ Content ”) is the sole responsibility of the person from whom such Content originated. Tenant acknowledges and agrees that by using Internet Service, Tenant may be exposed to Content that Tenant may find offensive, indecent or objectionable, and Tenant uses the Internet Service at its own risk. Landlord and any third party provider(s) responsible for delivering Internet Service to the Project reserve the right (but shall have no obligation) to pre-screen, review, flag, filter, modify, refuse or remove any or all Content from the Internet Service. Landlord does not control the Content posted via the Internet Service and, as such, does not guarantee the accuracy, integrity, or quality of such Content. Under no circumstances shall Landlord or any Superior Parties be liable in any way for any Content, including, without limitation, any errors or omissions in any Content, or for any loss or damage arising out of or in connection with Tenant's use of the Internet Service (including, without limitation, damages for loss of use, lost profits or loss of data or information of any kind).

 

(d)           Tenant is solely responsible for maintaining Tenant's account for the use of Internet Service, and Tenant is fully responsible for all activities that occur under Tenant's account and in connection with Tenant's use of the Internet Service. Tenant agrees to notify Landlord and any third party provider(s) responsible for delivering Internet Service to the Project immediately of any unauthorized use of Tenant's account or any other breaches of security of which Tenant becomes aware. Tenant is solely responsible for, and shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Landlord and the Superior Parties for, any Content created, uploaded, posted, emailed, transmitted, displayed or otherwise made available by Tenant via the Internet Service and for any and all consequences of Tenant's use of the Internet Service (including, without limitation, any loss or damage suffered by Landlord or any Superior Parties arising therefrom or in connection therewith).

 

(e)           Tenant agrees not to use the Internet Service to:

 

(i)           upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable;

 

(ii)          harm minors in any way;

 

(iii)         impersonate any person or entity or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent Tenant's affiliation with a person or entity;

 

(iv)         forge headers or otherwise manipulate identifiers in order to disguise the origin of any Content transmitted through the Internet Service;

 

(v)          upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that Tenant does not have a right to make available under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships (such as inside information, proprietary and confidential information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure agreements);

 

Net/Office/Laboratory 430 East 29 th Street, NY, NY/Immune Pharma, Inc. - Page 46

 

(vi)         upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary or intellectual property rights of any party;

 

(vii)        upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, “junk mail,” “spam,” “chain letters,” “pyramid schemes,” or any other form of solicitation, except in those areas (such as shopping) that are designated for such purpose;

 

(viii)       upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available any material that contains software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment;

 

(ix)          disrupt the normal flow of dialogue, cause a screen to “scroll” faster than other users of the Internet Services are able to type, or otherwise act in a manner that negatively affects other users' ability to engage in real time exchanges;

 

(x)           interfere with or disrupt the Internet Services or servers or networks connected to the Internet Services, or disobey any requirements, procedures, policies or regulations of networks connected to the Internet Services, including using any device, software or routine to bypass our robot exclusion headers;

 

(xi)          intentionally or unintentionally violate any applicable local, state, national or international law, including, but not limited to, regulations promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any rules of any national or other securities exchange, including, without limitation, the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ, and any regulations having the force of law;

 

(xii)         provide material support or resources (or to conceal or disguise the nature, location, source, or ownership of material support or resources) to any organization(s) designated by the United States government as a foreign terrorist organization pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act;

 

(xiii)        “stalk” or otherwise harass another; or

 

(xiv)       collect or store personal data about other users in connection with the prohibited conduct and activities set forth in clauses (i) through (xiii) above.

 

(f)           Tenant acknowledges, consents to and agrees that Landlord and/or any third party provider(s) responsible for delivering Internet Service to the Project may access, preserve and disclose Tenant's account information associated with the Internet Service if required to do so by applicable Legal Requirements or in a good faith belief that such access, preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to (i) comply with legal process, (ii) comply with the directives of law enforcement officials, (iii) enforce the provisions of this Section 51 and/or the terms and conditions applicable to the Internet Service from time to time, (iv) respond to claims that any Content violates the rights of third parties, (v) respond to Tenant's requests for customer service, and/or (vi) protect the rights, property or personal safety of Landlord, the Superior Parties, any third party provider(s) responsible for delivering Internet Service to the Project, any users of Internet Service, any tenants or other occupants of the Project and the public.

 

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(g)           Tenant acknowledges and agrees that the Internet Service may include security components that permit digital materials to be protected, and that the use of these materials is subject to such usage rules as may be set by Landlord, any third party provider(s) responsible for delivering Internet Service to the Project, and/or any Content provider(s). Tenant shall not attempt to override or circumvent any of such usage rules, and any unauthorized reproduction, publication, further distribution or public exhibition of the materials provided on the Internet Service, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Landlord and Tenant have executed this Lease as of the day and year first above written.

 

  TENANT:
   
  IMMUNE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. ,
  a Delaware corporation
   
  By: /s/ Dr. Daniel Teper 
  Name: Dr. Daniel Teper
  Title: Chief Executive Officer
   
  LANDLORD:
   
  ARE-EAST RIVER SCIENCE PARK, LLC ,
  a Delaware limited liability company
   
  By: /s/ ALEXANDRIA REAL ESTATE EQUITIES, L.P.,
  Name:  a Delaware limited partnership,
  Title:  managing member
   
    By: /s/ ARE-QRS CORP.,
    Name: a Maryland corporation,
    Title general partner
   
      By:  
      Its:    

 

Exhibit 10.41

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.42

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 21.1

 

Subsidiaries of Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc.

 

The following are the subsidiaries of Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc.:

 

Name   Jurisdiction of Incorporation
Immune Pharmaceuticals USA Corp.   Delaware
Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd.   Israel
Maxim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.   Delaware
Cytovia, Inc.   Delaware
EpiCept GmbH (in liquidation)   Germany

 

 

 

Exhibit 23.1

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements of Immune Pharmaceuticals, Inc. on Form S-8 (Nos. 333-198521, 333-156438, 333-151150, 333-130865, 333-130861 and 333-130860) and Form S-3 (Nos. 333-198309 and 333-198647) of our report dated April 15, 2015, on our audits of the consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 and for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2014, which report is included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to be filed on or about April 15, 2015.

 

/s/ EisnerAmper LLP

Iselin, New Jersey

April 15, 2015

 

 

 

Exhibit 31.1

 

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER PURSUANT TO

SECTION 302(a) OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

I, Dr. Daniel G. Teper, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc.;

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

b) designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Date:    April 15, 2015

 

/s/ Daniel G. Teper  
Daniel G. Teper  

Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 31.2

 

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER PURSUANT TO

SECTION 302(a) OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

I, Gad Berdugo, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc.;

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

b) designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Date:   April 15, 2015

 

/s/ Gad Berdugo  
Gad Berdugo  

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer and

Principal Accounting Officer)

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 32.1

 

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

In connection with the Annual Report of Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Daniel G. Teper, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes –Oxley Act of 2002, that:

 

1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

 

2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

/s/ Daniel G. Teper  
Daniel G. Teper  

Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

 
   
April 15, 2015  

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 32.2

 

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

 

In connection with the Annual Report of Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Gad Berdugo, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes –Oxley Act of 2002, that:

 

1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

 

2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

/s/ Gad Berdugo  
Gad Berdugo  

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer and
Principal Accounting Officer)

 
   
April 15, 2015