NOTE 2 - GOING CONCERN AND MANAGEMENT’S PLANS

The Company has not generated any revenues and has incurred significant losses since inception. As of March 31, 2023, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $112,170,623 and a working capital deficit of $925,565, and for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, a net loss of $4,762,078 and cash used in operating activities of $3,869,891. The Company expects to invest a significant amount of capital to fund research and development. As a result, the Company expects that its operating expenses will increase significantly, and consequently will require significant revenues to become profitable. Even if the Company does become profitable, it may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. The Company cannot predict when, if ever, it will be profitable. There can be no assurance that the intellectual property of the Company, or other technologies it may acquire, will meet applicable regulatory standards, obtain required regulatory approvals, be capable of being produced in commercial quantities at reasonable costs, or be successfully marketed. The Company plans to undertake additional laboratory studies with respect to the intellectual property, and there can be no assurance that the results from such studies or trials will result in a commercially viable product or will not identify unwanted side effects.

The Company’s ability to continue its operations is dependent upon obtaining new financing for its ongoing operations. Subsequent to the current period, on April 5, 2023, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with a certain purchaser in which the Company agreed to sell an aggregate of 0.4 million shares of common stock, pre-funded warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of approximately 1.2 million shares of common stock (“April 2023 Pre-Funded Warrants”), and common stock warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of approximately 1.6 million shares of common stock (the “April 2023 Common Warrants”), for gross proceeds of approximately $3.0 million (see Note 11 – Subsequent Events below for further details). 

The Company plans to continue to fund its losses from operations through future equity offerings, debt financings or other third-party fundings. There can be no assurance that additional funds will be available when needed from any source or, if available, will be available on terms that are acceptable to the Company. If the Company is unable to obtain such additional financing, the Company may have to curtail its development, marketing and promotional activities, which would have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations, and it could ultimately be forced to discontinue its operations and liquidate. These matters raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time, which is defined as within one year after the date that the condensed consolidated financial statements are issued.

These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. The condensed consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may result from uncertainty related to our ability to continue as a going concern.

NOTE 3 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Significant Accounting Policies

There have been no material changes to the Company’s significant accounting policies as set forth in the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 under Note 3 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, except as disclosed in this note.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared on a going concern basis in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) for interim financial reporting and as required by Regulation S-X, Rule 10-01. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (including those which are normal and recurring) considered necessary for a fair presentation of the interim financial information have been included. When preparing financial statements in conformity with GAAP, the Company must make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and related disclosures at the date of the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Additionally, operating results for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. For further information, refer to the financial statements and footnotes included in the Company’s annual financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, which are included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 31, 2023.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates, judgments, and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, together with amounts disclosed in the related notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements. The Company’s significant estimates and assumptions used in these condensed consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, the collectability of an insurance claims receivable, the fair value of financial instruments warrants, options and equity shares, the valuation of stock-based compensation, and the estimates and assumptions related to impairment analysis of in-process research and development assets.

Certain of the Company’s estimates could be affected by external conditions, including those unique to the Company and general economic conditions. It is reasonably possible that these external factors could have an effect on the Company’s estimates and may cause actual results to differ from those estimates.

Foreign Currency Translation

The Company’s reporting currency is the United States dollar. The functional currency of certain subsidiaries was the British Pound (“GBP”) (1.2345 and 1.2098 GBP to 1 US dollar, each as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively) for balance sheet accounts, while expense accounts are translated at the weighted average exchange rate for the period (1.2138 and 1.3413 GBP to 1 US dollar for each of the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively). Equity accounts are translated at historical exchange rates. The resulting translation adjustments are recognized in stockholders’ equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income.

Comprehensive income (loss) is defined as the change in equity of an entity from all sources other than investments by owners or distributions to owners and includes foreign currency translation adjustments as described above. During the quarter ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded other comprehensive income (loss) of $663 and ($728,081), respectively, as a result of foreign currency translation adjustments.

Foreign currency gains and losses resulting from transactions denominated in foreign currencies, including intercompany transactions, are included in results of operations. The Company recognized ($1,117) and ($142) of foreign currency transaction losses for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Such amounts have been classified within general and administrative expenses in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss).

Intangible Assets and In-Process Research and Development (“IP R&D”)

Intangible assets consist of licensed patents held by Katexco Pharmaceuticals Corp. (“Katexco”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, as well as technology licenses acquired in connection with the July 2019, corporate restructuring completed between the Company and each of 180 Therapeutics L.P. (“180 LP”), Katexco and CannBioRex Pharmaceuticals Corp. (“CBR Pharma”), pursuant to which each of 180 LP, Katexco and CBR Pharma became wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company (the “Reorganization”). Licensed patents are amortized over the remaining life of the patent. Technology licenses represent the fair value of licenses acquired for the development and commercialization of certain licenses and knowledge. The technology licenses are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the underlying patents. It will be necessary to monitor and possibly adjust the useful lives of the licensed patents and technology licenses depending on the results of the Company’s research and development activities.

IP R&D assets represent the fair value assigned to technologies that were acquired on July 16, 2019 in connection with the Reorganization, which have not reached technological feasibility and have no alternative future use. IP R&D assets are considered to be indefinite-lived until the completion or abandonment of the associated research and development projects. During the period that the IP R&D assets are considered indefinite-lived, they are tested for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if the Company becomes aware of any events occurring or changes in circumstances that indicate that the fair value of the IP R&D assets are less than their carrying amounts. If and when development is complete, which generally occurs upon regulatory approval, and the Company is able to commercialize products associated with the IP R&D assets, these assets are then deemed definite-lived and are amortized based on their estimated useful lives at that point in time. If development is terminated or abandoned, the Company may record a full or partial impairment charge related to the IP R&D assets, calculated as the excess of the carrying value of the IP R&D assets over their estimated fair value.

As of December 31, 2022, the carrying amount of the IP R&D assets on the balance sheet was $12,405,084 (which consists of carrying amounts of $1,462,084 and $10,943,000 related to the Company’s CBR Pharma subsidiary and its 180 LP subsidiary, respectively). Per the valuation obtained from a third party as of year-end, the fair market value of the Company’s IP R&D assets was determined to be $9,063,000 (which consisted of fair values of $0 and $9,063,000 related to the Company’s CBR Pharma subsidiary and 180 LP subsidiary, respectively). As of that measurement date, the carrying values of the CBR Pharma and 180 LP subsidiaries’ assets exceeded their fair market values by $1,462,084 and $1,880,000, respectively. As such, management determined that the consolidated IP R&D assets were impaired by $3,342,084 and, in order to recognize the impairment, the Company recorded a loss for this amount during the fourth quarter of 2022, which appeared as a loss on impairment to IP R&D assets on the income statement. This reduced the IP R&D asset balances of its CBR Pharma subsidiary and its 180 LP subsidiary to zero and $9,063,000, respectively, as of December 31, 2022; and the total consolidated IP R&D asset balance was $9,063,000 after impairment.

As of March 31, 2023, the carrying amount of the IP R&D assets on the balance sheet was $9,063,000 (which consists of a balance related to the Company’s 180 LP subsidiary); the Company typically assesses asset impairment on an annual basis unless a triggering event or other facts or circumstances indicate that an evaluation should be performed at an earlier date. At the end of the current period, the Company assessed general economic conditions, industry and market considerations, the Company’s financial performance and all relevant legal, regulatory, and political factors that might indicate the possibility of impairment and concluded that, when these factors were collectively evaluated, it is more likely than not that the asset is not impaired. The Company and its management will continue to perform intangible assets and IP R&D assets impairment testing on an annual basis, or as needed if there are changes to the composition of its reporting unit or facts or circumstances are present which indicate the possibility of impairment.

Net (Loss) Income Per Common Share

Basic net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding, plus the number of additional common shares that would have been outstanding if the common share equivalents had been issued (computed using the treasury stock or if converted method), if dilutive.

The following table details the net income (loss) per share calculation, reconciles between basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, and presents the potentially dilutive shares that are excluded from the calculation of the weighted average diluted common shares outstanding, because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive:

The following common share equivalents are excluded from the calculation of weighted average common shares outstanding, because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive:

Warrant, Option and Convertible Instrument Valuation

The Company has computed the fair value of warrants and options using a Black-Scholes model. The expected term used for warrants is the contractual life and the expected term used for options issued is the estimated period of time that options granted are expected to be outstanding. The Company utilizes the “simplified” method to develop an estimate of the expected term of “plain vanilla” option grants. The Company is utilizing an expected volatility figure based on a review of the historical volatilities, over a period of time, equivalent to the expected life of the instrument being valued, of similarly positioned public companies within its industry. The risk-free interest rate was determined from the implied yields from U.S. Treasury zero-coupon bonds with a remaining term consistent with the expected term of the instrument being valued.

Subsequent Events

The Company has evaluated events that have occurred after the balance sheet date but before these condensed consolidated financial statements were issued. Based upon that evaluation, the Company did not identify any recognized or non-recognized subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements, except as disclosed in Note 11 - Subsequent Events.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, accrued expenses - related parties were $228,581 and $188,159, respectively. See Note 10 - Related Parties for details.

NOTE 6 - DERIVATIVE LIABILITIES

The following table sets forth a summary of the changes in the fair value of Level 3 derivative liabilities (except the Public SPAC Warrants as defined below, which are Level 1 derivative liabilities) that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis:

The fair value of the derivative liabilities as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 was estimated using the Black Scholes option pricing model, with the following assumptions used:

SPAC Warrants

Public SPAC Warrants

Participants in KBL’s initial public offering received an aggregate of 11,500,000 Public SPAC Warrants (“Public SPAC Warrants”). Each Public SPAC Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one-fortieth of one share of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $5.75 per 1/40^th of one share, or $230.00 per whole share, subject to adjustment. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Public SPAC Warrants; the Public SPAC Warrants are currently exercisable and will expire on November 6, 2025, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. Management has determined that the Public SPAC Warrants contain a tender offer provision which could result in the Public SPAC Warrants settling for the tender offer consideration (including potentially cash) in a transaction that didn’t result in a change-in-control. This feature results in the Public SPAC Warrants being precluded from equity classification. Accordingly, the Public SPAC Warrants are classified as liabilities measured at fair value, with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings. The Public SPAC Warrants were revalued on March 31, 2023 at $10,235, which resulted in a decrease of $21,390 in the fair value of the derivative liabilities during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Private SPAC Warrants

Participants in KBL’s initial private placement received an aggregate of 502,500 Private SPAC Warrants (“Private SPAC Warrants”). Each Private Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one-fortieth of one share of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $5.75 per 1/40^th of one share, or $230.00 per whole share, subject to adjustment. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Private SPAC Warrants; the Private SPAC Warrants are currently exercisable and will expire on November 6, 2025, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. Management has determined that the Private SPAC Warrants contain a tender offer provision which could result in the Private SPAC Warrants settling for the tender offer consideration (including potentially cash) in a transaction that didn’t result in a change-in-control. This feature (amongst others) results in the Private SPAC Warrants being precluded from equity classification. Accordingly, the Private SPAC Warrants are classified as liabilities measured at fair value, with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings. The Private SPAC Warrants were revalued on March 31, 2023 at $251, which resulted in a decrease of $1,005 in the fair value of the derivative liabilities during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

PIPE Warrants

On February 23, 2021, the Company issued five-year warrants (the “PIPE Warrants”) to purchase 128,200 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $100.00 per share in connection with the private offering (see Note 9 – Stockholders’ Equity, Common Stock). The PIPE Warrants did not meet the requirements for equity classification due to the existence of a tender offer provision that could potentially result in cash settlement of the PIPE Warrants that didn’t meet the limited exception in the case of a change-in-control. Accordingly, the PIPE Warrants are liability-classified and the Company recorded the $7,294,836 fair value of the PIPE Warrants, which was determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, as derivative liabilities. The PIPE Warrants were revalued on March 31, 2023 at $11,500, which resulted in a decrease of $30,600 in the fair value of the derivative liabilities during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Other Warrants

AGP Warrant

In connection with the closing of the Business Combination on November 6, 2020, the Company became obligated to assume five-year warrants for the purchase of 3,183 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $105.60 per share (the “AGP Warrant Liability”) that had originally been issued by KBL to an investment banking firm in connection with a prior private placement.

On March 12, 2021, the Company issued a warrant to Alliance Global Partners (“AGP” and the “AGP Warrant”) to purchase up to an aggregate of 3,183 shares of the Company’s common stock at a purchase price of $105.60 per share, subject to adjustment, in full satisfaction of the existing AGP Warrant Liability. The exercise of the AGP Warrant is limited at any given time to prevent AGP from exceeding beneficial ownership of 4.99% of the then total number of issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock upon such exercise. The warrant is exercisable at any time between May 2, 2021 and May 2, 2025. The AGP Warrant did not meet the requirements for equity classification due to the existence of a tender offer provision that could potentially result in cash settlement of the AGP Warrant that did not meet the limited exception in the case of a change-in-control. Accordingly, the AGP Warrant will continue to be liability-classified. The AGP Warrant was revalued on March 31, 2023 at $72, which resulted in a decrease of $328 in the fair value of the derivative liabilities during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Alpha Warrant

In connection with that certain Mutual Release and Settlement Agreement dated July 31, 2021 (agreed to on July 29, 2021) between the Company and Alpha Capital Anstal (“Alpha” and the “Alpha Settlement Agreement”), the Company issued a three-year warrant for the purchase of 1,250 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $141.40 per share (the “Alpha Warrant Liability” and the “Alpha Warrant”). The exercise of shares of the Alpha Warrant is limited at any given time to prevent Alpha from exceeding a beneficial ownership of 4.99% of the then total number of issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock upon such exercise. The warrant is exercisable until August 2, 2024. The Alpha Warrant did not meet the requirements for equity classification due to the existence of a tender offer provision that could potentially result in cash settlement of the Alpha Warrant that did not meet the limited exception in the case of a change-in-control. Accordingly, the Alpha Warrant is liability-classified and the Company recorded the $95,677 fair value of the Alpha Warrant, which was determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, as a warrant liability. The Alpha Warrant was revalued on March 31, 2023 at $0, which did not result in any change in the fair value of the derivative liabilities during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Warrant Activity

As the number of liability-classified warrants are less than 15% of the total outstanding warrants as of March 31, 2023, the summary of warrant activity is included in Note 9 – Stockholders’ Equity.

NOTE 7 - LOANS PAYABLE

Loans Payable

The following table summarizes the activity of loans payable during the quarter ended March 31, 2023:

During the three months ended March 31, 2023, the Company paid $466,792 and $3,018 in partial satisfaction of the First Assurance Funding loan and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, respectively.

Interest Expense on Loans Payable

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized interest expense associated with loans payable of $11,556 and $7,414, respectively, and interest income — related parties associated with loans payable of $0 and $4,562, respectively.

As of March 31, 2023, the Company had accrued interest and accrued income — related parties associated with loans payable of $56,457 and $1,227, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had accrued interest and accrued interest — related parties associated with loans payable of $36,422 and $16,770, respectively. See Note 10 — Related Parties for additional details.

NOTE 8 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Litigation and Other Loss Contingencies

The Company records liabilities for loss contingencies arising from claims, assessments, litigation, fines, penalties and other sources when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company has no liabilities recorded for loss contingencies as of December 31, 2022.

Legal Matters

Action Against Former Executive of KBL

On September 1, 2021, the Company initiated legal action in the Chancery Court of Delaware against Dr. Marlene Krauss, the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer and director (“Dr. Krauss”) and two of her affiliated companies, KBL IV Sponsor, LLC and KBL Healthcare Management, Inc. (collectively, the “KBL Affiliates”) for, among other things, engaging in unauthorized monetary transfers of the Company’s assets, non-disclosure of financial liabilities within the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements, issuing shares of stock without proper authorization; and improperly allowing stockholder redemptions to take place. The Company’s complaint alleges causes of action against Dr. Krauss and/or the KBL Affiliates for breach of fiduciary duties, ultra vires acts, unjust enrichment, negligence and declaratory relief, and seeks compensatory damages in excess of $11,286,570, together with interest, attorneys’ fees and costs. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in its legal actions.

On October 5, 2021, Dr. Krauss and the KBL Affiliates filed an Answer, Counterclaims and Third-Party Complaint (the “Krauss Counterclaims”) against the Company and twelve individuals who are, or were, directors and/or officers of the Company, i.e., Marc Feldmann, Lawrence Steinman, James N. Woody, Teresa DeLuca, Frank Knuettel II, Pamela Marrone, Lawrence Gold, Donald A. McGovern, Jr., Russell T. Ray, Richard W. Barker, Shoshana Shendelman and Ozan Pamir (collectively, the “Third-Party Defendants”).  On October 27, 2021, the Company and Ozan Pamir filed an Answer to the Krauss Counterclaims, and all of the other Third-Party Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss as to the Third-Party Complaint.

On January 28, 2022, in lieu of filing an opposition to the Motion to Dismiss, Dr. Krauss and the KBL Affiliates filed a Motion for leave to file amended counterclaims and third-party complaint, and to dismiss six of the current and former directors previously named, i.e., to dismiss Teresa DeLuca, Frank Knuettel II, Pamela Marrone, Russell T. Ray, Richard W. Barker and Shoshana Shendelman.  The Motion was granted by stipulation and, on February 24, 2022, Dr. Krauss filed an amended Answer, Counterclaims and Third-Party Complaint (the “Amended Counterclaims”).  In essence, the Amended Counterclaims allege (a) that the Company and the remaining Third-Party Defendants breached fiduciary duties to Dr. Krauss by making alleged misstatements against Dr. Krauss in SEC filings and failing to register her shares in the Company so that they could be traded, and (b) the Company breached contracts between the Company and Dr. Krauss for registration of such shares, and also failed to pay to Dr. Krauss the amounts alleged to be owing under a promissory note in the principal amount of $371,178, plus an additional $300,000 under Dr. Krauss’s resignation agreement.  The Amended Counterclaims seek unspecified amounts of monetary damages, declaratory relief, equitable and injunctive relief, and attorney’s fees and costs. 

On March 16, 2022, Donald A. McGovern, Jr. and Lawrence Gold filed a Motion to Dismiss the Amended Counterclaims against them, and the Company and the remaining Third-Party Defendants filed an Answer to the Amended Counterclaims denying the same.  On April 19, 2022, Dr. Krauss stipulated to dismiss all of her counterclaims and allegations against both Donald A. McGovern, Jr. and Lawrence Gold, thereby mooting their Motion to Dismiss the Amended Counterclaims against them. The Company and the Third-Party Defendants intend to continue to vigorously defend against all of the Amended Counterclaims, however, there can be no assurance that they will be successful in the legal defense of such Amended Counterclaims. In April 2022, Donald A. McGovern, Jr. and Lawrence Gold were dismissed from the lawsuit as parties. Discovery has not yet commenced in the case. The Company and the Third-Party Defendants intend to continue to vigorously defend against all of the Amended Counterclaims, however, there can be no assurance that they will be successful in the legal defense of such Amended Counterclaims. 

Action Against the Company by Dr. Krauss

On August 19, 2021, Dr. Krauss initiated legal action in the Chancery Court of Delaware against the Company.  The original Complaint sought expedited relief and made the following two claims: (1) it alleged that the Company is obligated to advance expenses including, attorney’s fees, to Dr. Krauss for the costs of defending against the SEC and certain Subpoenas served by the SEC on Dr. Krauss; and (2) it alleged that the Company is also required to reimburse Dr. Krauss for the costs of bringing this lawsuit against the Company.  On or about September 3, 2021, Dr. Krauss filed an Amended and Supplemental Complaint (the “Amended Complaint”) in this action, which added the further claims that Dr. Krauss is also allegedly entitled to advancement by the Company of her expenses, including attorney’s fees, for the costs of defending against the Third-Party Complaint in the Tyche Capital LLC action referenced below, and the costs of defending against the Company’s own Complaint against Dr. Krauss as described above.  On or about September 23, 2021, the Company filed its Answer to the Amended Complaint in which the Company denied each of Dr. Krauss’ claims and further raised numerous affirmative defenses with respect thereto.

On November 15, 2021, Dr. Krauss filed a Motion for Summary Adjudication as to certain of the issues in the case, which was opposed by the Company.  A hearing on such Motion was held on December 7, 2021, and, on March 7, 2022, the Court issued a decision in the matter denying the Motion for Summary Adjudication in part and granting it in part.  The Court then issued an Order implementing such a decision on March 29, 2022. The parties are now engaging in proceedings set forth in that implementing Order. The Court granted Dr. Krauss’s request for advancement of some of the legal fees which Dr. Krauss requested in her Motion, and the Company was required to pay a portion of those fees while it objects to the remaining portion of disputed fees. These legal fees have been accrued on the Company’s balance sheet.

On October 10, 2022, Dr. Krauss filed an Application to compel the Company to pay the full amount of fees requested by Dr. Krauss for May-July 2022, and to modify the Court’s Order. The Company filed its Opposition thereto.  On January 18, 2023, Dr. Krauss filed a Second Application to compel the Company to pay the full amount of fees requested by Dr. Krauss for August-October 2022, and to modify the Court's Order.  The Company filed its Opposition thereto.  On May 3, 2023, the Court issued an Order granting both of Dr. Krauss’s Applications for payment of the full amount of requested attorney’s fees for the months of May through October 2022.  Notwithstanding the Order, such ruling does not constitute any final adjudication as to whether Dr. Krauss will ultimately be entitled to permanently retain such advancements, and Dr. Krauss has posted an undertaking with the Court affirmatively promising to repay all such amounts if she is eventually found to be liable for the Company’s and/or the SEC’s claims against her. The Company is seeking payment for a substantial portion of such amounts from its director and officers’ insurance policy, of which no assurance can be provided that the directors and officers insurance policy will cover such amounts. See “Declaratory Relief Action Against the Company by AmTrust International” below.

Action Against Tyche Capital LLC

The Company commenced and filed an action against defendant Tyche Capital LLC (“Tyche”) in the Supreme Court of New York, in the County of New York, on April 15, 2021.  In its Complaint, the Company alleged claims against Tyche arising out of Tyche’s breach of its written contractual obligations to the Company as set forth in a “Guarantee and Commitment Agreement” dated July 25, 2019, and a “Term Sheet For KBL Business Combination With CannBioRex” dated April 10, 2019 (collectively, the “Subject Guarantee”).  The Company alleges in its Complaint that, notwithstanding demand having been made on Tyche to perform its obligations under the Subject Guarantee, Tyche has failed and refused to do so, and is currently in debt to the Company for such failure in the amount of $6,776,686, together with interest accruing thereon at the rate set forth in the Subject Guarantee.

On or about May 17, 2021, Tyche responded to the Company’s Complaint by filing an Answer and Counterclaims against the Company alleging that it was the Company, rather than Tyche, that had breached the Subject Guarantee.  Tyche also filed a Third-Party Complaint against six third-party defendants, including three members of the Company’s management, Sir Marc Feldmann, Dr. James Woody, and Ozan Pamir (collectively, the “Individual Company Defendants”), claiming that they allegedly breached fiduciary duties to Tyche with regards to the Subject Guarantee.  In that regard, on June 25, 2021, each of the Individual Company Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss Tyche’s Third-Party Complaint against them.

On November 23, 2021, the Court granted the Company’s request to issue an Order of attachment against all of Tyche’s shares of the Company’s stock that had been held in escrow.  In so doing, the Court found that the Company had demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of the case based on the facts alleged in the Company’s Complaint.

On February 18, 2022, Tyche filed an Amended Answer, Counterclaims and Third-Party Complaint.  On March 22, 2022, the Company and each of the Individual Company Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss all of Tyche’s claims.  A hearing on such Motion to Dismiss was held on August 25, 2022, and the Court granted the Motion to Dismiss entirely as to each of the Individual Company Defendants, and also as to three of the four Counterclaims brought against the Company, only leaving Tyche’s declaratory relief claim. On September 9, 2022, Tyche filed a Notice of Appeal as to the Court’s decision, which has never been briefed or adjudicated. On August 26, 2022, Tyche filed a Motion to vacate or modify the Company’s existing attachment Order against Tyche’s shares of the Company’s stock held in escrow. The Company has filed its Opposition thereto, and the Court summarily denied such Motion without hearing on January 3, 2023.  Tyche subsequently filed a Notice of Appeal as to that denial and filed its Opening Brief on January 30, 2023.  The Company filed its opposition brief on March 2, 2023, and the matter was taken under submission by the Appellate Court.  On May 4, 2023, the Appellate Court issued its decision unanimously affirming the ruling of the lower Court in the Company’s favor. 

On January 30, 2023, the Company filed a Notice of Motion for Summary Judgment and to Dismiss Affirmative Defenses against Tyche. That motion has been fully briefed, and the Court has scheduled a hearing thereon for June 20, 2023. The Company and the Individual Company Defendants intend to continue to vigorously defend against all of Tyche’s claims; however, there can be no assurance that they will be successful in the legal defense of such claims. Written discovery proceedings and depositions have occurred among the parties. 

Action Against Ronald Bauer & Samantha Bauer

The Company and two of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Katexco Pharmaceuticals Corp. and CannBioRex Pharmaceuticals Corp. (collectively, the “Company Plaintiffs”), initiated legal action against Ronald Bauer and Samantha Bauer, as well as two of their companies, Theseus Capital Ltd. and Astatine Capital Ltd. (collectively, the “Bauer Defendants”), in the Supreme Court of British Columbia on February 25, 2022. The Company Plaintiffs are seeking damages against the Bauer Defendants for misappropriated funds and stock shares, unauthorized stock sales, and improper travel expenses, in the combined sum of at least $4,395,000 CAD [$3,248,696 USD] plus the additional sum of $2,721,036 USD. The Bauer Defendants filed an answer to the Company Plaintiffs’ claims on May 6, 2022. There can be no assurance that the Company Plaintiffs will be successful in this legal action.

Declaratory Relief Action Against the Company by AmTrust International

On June 29, 2022, AmTrust International Underwriters DAC (“AmTrust”), which was the premerger directors’ and officers’ insurance policy underwriter for KBL, filed a declaratory relief action against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (the “Declaratory Relief Action”) seeking declaration of AmTrust’s obligations under the directors’ and officers’ insurance policy.  In the Declaratory Relief Action, AmTrust is claiming that as a result of the merger the Company is no longer the insured under the subject insurance policy, notwithstanding the fact that the fees which the Company seeks to recover from AmTrust relate to matters occurring prior to the merger. 

On September 20, 2022, the Company filed its Answer and Counterclaims against AmTrust for bad faith breach of AmTrust’s insurance coverage obligations to the Company under the subject directors’ and officers’ insurance policy, and seeking damages of at least $2 million in compensatory damages, together with applicable punitive damages. In addition, the Company brought a Third-Party Complaint against its excess insurance carrier, Freedom Specialty Insurance Company (“Freedom”) seeking declaratory relief that Freedom will also be required to honor its policy coverage as soon as the amount of AmTrust’s insurance coverage obligations to the Company have been exhausted. On October 25, 2022, AmTrust filed its Answer to the Company’s Counterclaims and, on October 27, 2022, Freedom filed its Answer to the Third-Party Complaint.

On November 22, 2022, the Company filed a Motion for Summary Adjudication against both AmTrust and Freedom. The Motion was fully briefed, and a hearing was held on March 9, 2023. The standard to prevail on a Motion for Summary Adjudication in the Court is high to prevail and requires a judge to find that there are no disputed issues of fact so that they can rule on the issues as a matter of law. In this instance the judge found three major issues could be decided as a matter of law in the Company’s favor and that one issue, the Change in Control exclusion, requires further discovery.

On April 21, 2023, the Court issued an Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part the Company’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. Specifically, the Court granted summary adjudication in favor of the Company on the following issues: (a) that the Company is, in fact, an insured under both the AmTrust and Freedom insurance policies; (b) that certain SEC subpoena related expenses for defendants Dr. Marlene Krauss, the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer and Director, and George Hornig, the former Chairman of the Board, are within the basic scope of coverage under both the AmTrust and Freedom insurance policies; and (c) that the Insured vs. Insured exclusion relied upon by AmTrust and Freedom is not applicable to bar any such coverage.

The Court also found that there were issues of disputed facts as to the Change in Control exclusion contained within the policies, which therefore precluded the Court from granting the remainder of the Company’s requests for summary adjudication as a matter of law. Accordingly, the Court, at this time, denied the Company’s further requests for summary adjudication and deemed that for the time being, the Change in Control issue is to be determined at the time of trial, in order to find that the policies (i) provide coverage for the fees which the Company has advanced and will advance to Dr. Marlene Krauss and George Hornig; (ii) that AmTrust has breached the policy; (iii) that AmTrust must pay such expenses of the Company; and that, once the AmTrust policy has been exhausted, (iv) Freedom will be obligated to pay such expenses of the Company pursuant to its policy. The Company intends to continue to vigorously pursue this final matter in order to establish the Company’s entitlement to full payment by both AmTrust and Freedom of the subject advancement expenses of the Company.

While the Company continues to believe it has a strong case against both AmTrust and Freedom, and believes the Court ruling in its favor in regards to the matters discussed above is a significant positive outcome for the Company, there can be no assurance that the Company will prevail in this action.

NOTE 9 – STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Reverse Stock-Split during 2022

On December 15, 2022, at a Special Meeting of the Stockholders of the Company, the stockholders of the Company approved an amendment to the Company’s Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to effect a reverse stock split of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, by a ratio of between one-for-four to one-for-twenty, inclusive, with the exact ratio to be set at a whole number to be determined by our Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee thereof in its discretion, at any time after approval of the amendment and prior to December 15, 2023 (the “Stockholder Authority”). On December 15, 2022, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), with the Stockholder Authority, approved an amendment to the Company’s Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to affect a reverse stock split of its common stock at a ratio of 1-for-20 (the “Reverse Stock Split”). Pursuant to the Certificate of Amendment filed to affect the Reverse Stock Split, the Reverse Stock Split was effective on December 19, 2022 and the shares of the Company’s common stock began trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market (“NASDAQ”) on a post-split basis on December 19, 2022, with new CUSIP number: 68236V203. No change was made to the trading symbol for the Company’s shares of common stock or public warrants, “ATNF” and “ATNFW”, respectively, in connection with the Reverse Stock Split.

Because the Certificate of Amendment did not reduce the number of authorized shares of common stock, the effect of the Reverse Stock Split was to increase the number of shares of common stock available for issuance relative to the number of shares issued and outstanding. The Reverse Stock Split did not alter the par value of the common stock or modify any voting rights or other terms of the common stock. Any fractional shares remaining after the Reverse Stock Split were rounded up to the nearest whole share.

With regards to the Company’s 2020 Omnibus Incentive Plan and the 2022 Omnibus Incentive Plan, the Company’s Compensation Committee and Board deem it in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders to (i) adjust the number of shares of Company common stock available for issuance under the Incentive Plans downward by a factor of 20 (with any fractional shares rounded down to the nearest whole share); (ii) reduce the number of shares of common stock issuable upon each outstanding option to purchase shares of common stock of the Company, and all other outstanding awards, by a factor of 20 (with any fractional shares rounded down to the nearest whole share); and (iii) adjust the exercise price of any outstanding options to purchase shares of common stock previously granted under the Incentive Plans up by a factor of 20 (rounded up to the nearest whole cent), in each case to adjust equitably for the Exchange Ratio of the Reverse Stock Split, which such adjustments effective automatically upon effectiveness of the Reverse Stock Split. The effects of the one-for-twenty reverse stock split have been retroactively reflected throughout the financial statements and notes to the financial statements.

Restricted Stock Shares

During the quarter ended March 31, 2023, the Company did not issue any additional restricted shares of the Company’s common stock, or Restricted Stock Shares, as compensation to consultants. Per the two-year consulting agreement which evidences the issuance of 600 restricted shares issued during 2022, the Restricted Stock Shares were issued at the beginning of the contract term and annually and vest monthly over a period of 24 months. The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense related to the amortization of the Restricted Stock Shares of $8,100 for the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Below is a table summarizing the Restricted Stock Shares granted and outstanding as of and for the quarter ended March 31, 2023:

A summary of outstanding and exercisable stock options as of March 31, 2023 is presented below:

The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense of $557,421 for the three months ended March 31, 2023 related to the amortization of stock options and restricted stock shares; expense of $470,703 is included within general and administrative expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three month period and expense of $86,718 is included within research and development expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three month period. The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense of $596,467 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 related to the amortization of stock options. Expense of $514,696 is included within general and administrative expenses and expense of $81,771 is included within research and development expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of operations. As of March 31, 2023, there was $2,981,420 of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to stock options that will be recognized over the weighted average remaining vesting period of 1.8 years, as well as $9,720 of unrecognized expense related to Restricted Stock Shares that will be recognized over the weighted average remaining vesting period of 0.75 years.

A summary of outstanding and exercisable warrants as of March 31, 2023 is presented below:

NOTE 10 - RELATED PARTIES

Accrued Expenses - Related Parties

Accrued expenses - related parties was $228,581 and $188,159 as of March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and consists of accrued consulting fees for services provided by certain directors and consultants, interest accrued on loans and convertible notes due to certain officers and directors of the Company, as well as deferred compensation for certain executives.

Research and Development Expenses - Related Parties

Research and Development Expenses – Related Parties of $216,684 and $47,718 during the quarters ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, are related to consulting and professional fees paid to current or former officers, directors or greater than 5% stockholders, or affiliates thereof.

General and Administrative Expenses - Related Parties

General and Administrative Expenses – Related Parties during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 were $0 and $5,261, respectively. These expenses relate to professional fees paid to current or former officers, directors or greater than 5% stockholders, or affiliates thereof.

 Interest (Expense) Income - Related Parties

During the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded $0 and $4,562, respectively, of interest expense/income - related parties related to loans from greater than 5% stockholders or affiliates of the Company.