Our business is subject to numerous risks. You should carefully consider the following risks and all other information contained in this Annual Report, as well as general economic and business risks, together with any other documents we file with the SEC. If any of the following events actually occur or risks actually materialize, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition and cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.

Risks Related to Owning Our Stock

The ownership interests in our Company held by our two founders could allow them to significantly influence corporate decision-making in a manner that may not reflect the interests of all of our stockholders.

Steve Hoffman, our Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Science Officer and a director, beneficially owned 23.6% and Michael Demurjian, our Co-founder, beneficially owned 23.7% of our outstanding common stock as of June 4, 2019. As a result, these individuals are positioned to exercise significant influence over our Company’s management and affairs, including, but not limited to, electing our Board and exercising managerial influence and voting rights in connection with fundamental corporate transactions, and take action that may not reflect the best interests of all of the stockholders of our Company.

Further, the Company has granted Mr. Hoffman perpetual, exclusive non-royalty bearing license with respect to certain patents and patent applications that the Company uses for SM-88 for all fields other than in connection with the treatment of cancer. This license to Mr. Hoffman may limit the Company’s ability to profit from alternative uses of SM-88, if such uses were to be discovered. Additionally, the use of these patents or patent applications could be associated with a negative event outside of the control of the Company and outside the treatment of cancer, which in either case may have an adverse effect on our business.

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Our share pric e is likely to be volatile due to factors beyond our control and may drop below prices paid by investors.

All readers of this report should consider an investment in our common stock as risky and invest in our common stock only if the purchaser can withstand a significant loss and wide fluctuations in the market value of an investment. Investors may be unable to sell their shares of our common stock at or above the price they paid for their shares due to fluctuations in the market price of our common stock arising from factors affecting our drug discovery and development objectives as well as changes in our operating performance or prospects. In addition, the stock market has recently experienced significant volatility, particularly with respect to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other life sciences company stocks. The volatility of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other life sciences company stocks often does not relate to the operating performance of the companies represented by the stock. Some of the factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate include, but are not limited to:

In addition, in the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders

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brought a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit and divert the time and attention of our management, which could seriously harm our business.

Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish substantial rights.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial revenue, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, grants and licensing and development agreements in connection with any collaborations. We do not have any committed external source of funds and no revenue source. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity equity-linked securities or convertible debt securities as we expect we will, then outstanding stockholders’ ownership interests in our Company will be diluted and the terms of these new securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect rights of holders of our common stock. For example, pursuant an underwritten registered offering that closed on April 2,

2019, we issued warrants, the exercise price of which is subject to downward adjustment in certain circumstances where we sell equity securities at a sales price less than the warrant price. Such warrants also impose restrictions on our ability to enter into certain fundamental transactions. Debt financing, if available at all, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, drug candidates, future revenue streams or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. We cannot give any assurance that we will be able to obtain additional funding if and when necessary or on satisfactory terms. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis, we could be required to delay, scale back or eliminate one or more of our development programs or grant rights to develop and market drug candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

Future issuances of our common stock or rights to purchase our common stock pursuant to our equity incentive plan or outstanding options and warrants could result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders and could cause our share price to fall.

We are authorized to grant equity awards, including stock grants and stock options, to our employees, directors and consultants, covering up to 12.5% of our shares of common stock outstanding from time to time pursuant to our 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended (the “2015 Plan”) and up to 2,750,000 shares of our common stock, pursuant to our amended and restated 2016 Director Plan (the “2016 Director Plan”). Future issuances, as well as the possibility of future issuances, under our 2015 Plan or 2016 Director Plan or other equity incentive plans could cause the market price of our common stock to decrease.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will depend, in part, on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us and our business. Securities and industry analysts may choose not to publish research on our Company. If an insufficient number of securities or industry analysts provide coverage of our Company, the trading price for our stock would likely be negatively impacted. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. In addition, if our operating results fail to meet the forecast of analysts, our stock price would likely decline. Further, if one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our Company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which might cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.

Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

Provisions in our corporate charter and our bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of us that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their 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, 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

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our Board. Because our board is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, the se provisions could, in turn, affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team. Among others, these provisions:

Moreover, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, 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.

Investors could lose all their investment in our Company.

An investment in our securities is speculative and involves a high degree of risk. Potential investors should be aware that the value of an investment in our Company may go down as well as up. In addition, there can be no certainty that the market value of an investment in our Company will fully reflect its underlying value. Due to these risks and the other risks described in this report, investors could lose their entire investment in our Company.

Investors may experience dilution of their ownership interests because of the future issuance of additional shares of our common or preferred stock or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for our common or preferred stock.

In the future, to raise needed financing, we are likely to issue our authorized but previously unissued equity securities, resulting in the dilution of the ownership interests of our stockholders at the time of such issuances. We are authorized to issue an aggregate of 300,000,000 shares of common stock and 10,000,000 shares of “blank check” preferred stock. We also have an effective “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3 that allows us to issue securities in registered offerings as well as an available ATM Financing Facility that allows us to sell shares of our Common Stock through a placement agent at market prices. We may issue additional shares of our common stock or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for our common stock in connection with hiring or retaining employees, future acquisitions, future sales of our securities for capital raising purposes or for other business purposes. The future issuance of any such additional shares of our common stock may create downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock. We will need to raise additional capital in the near future to meet our working capital needs, and we regularly evaluate our capital needs and available sources of financing. There can be no assurance that we will not be required to issue additional shares, warrants or other convertible securities in the future in conjunction with these capital raising efforts, including at a price (or exercise prices) below the price a stockholder at the time of such securities issuance paid for such stockholder’s stock.

The ability of our Board to issue additional stock may prevent or make more difficult certain transactions, including a sale or merger of our Company. Our Board is authorized to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock with powers, rights and preferences designated by it. (See “Preferred Stock” in “Description of Securities.”) Shares of voting or convertible preferred stock could be issued or rights to purchase such shares could be issued, to create voting impediments or to frustrate persons seeking to affect a takeover or otherwise gain control

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of our Company. The ability of our Board to issue such additional shares of preferred stock, with rights and preferences it deems advisab le, could discourage an attempt by a party to acquire control of our Company by tender offer or other means. Such issuances could therefore deprive stockholders of benefits that could result from such an attempt, such as the realization of a premium over t he market price for their shares in a tender offer or the temporary increase in market price that such an attempt could cause. Moreover, the issuance of such additional shares of preferred stock to persons friendly to our Board could make it more difficult to remove incumbent managers and directors from office even if such change were to be favorable to stockholders generally.

Our common stock has historically been characterized by low and/or erratic trading volume, and the intraday per share price of our common stock has fluctuated from $1.65 to $4.64 between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019, the date of our last completed fiscal year.

As of July 31, 2017, our common stock became quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “TYME.” Even though recently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, the market for our stock may be impaired because of the limited number of investors, the significant ownership stakes of Messrs. Demurjian and Hoffman, and our small market public float and small capitalization, which is less than that authorized for investment by many institutional investors.

Historically, the public market for our common stock has been characterized by low and/or erratic trading volume, often resulting in price volatility. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019, the average daily trading volume for our common stock was approximately 496,059 shares. In addition, the price of our common stock has been volatile. Our common stock had a closing price of $2.20 on April 2, 2018, and ended fiscal year 2019 at a closing price of $1.76. During the fiscal year 2019, our common stock had a low trading price of $1.76, which occurred on March 29, 2019, and had a high closing price of $4.21, which occurred on December 12, 2018.

The market price of our common stock is subject to wide fluctuations due to factors that we cannot control, including the results of preclinical and clinical testing of our products under development, decisions by collaborators regarding product development, regulatory developments, market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, future announcements concerning our competitors, adverse developments concerning proprietary rights, public concern as to the safety or commercial value of any products and general economic conditions.

Furthermore, the stock market has experienced significant price and volume fluctuation unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations can adversely affect the market price and volatility of our common stock.

We do not anticipate paying dividends on our common stock.

Cash dividends have never been declared or paid on our common stock and we do not anticipate such a declaration or payment for the foreseeable future. We expect to use future earnings, if any, to fund business growth. Therefore, our stockholders will likely not receive any funds absent a sale of their shares of our common stock. If we do not pay dividends, our common stock may be less valuable because a return on an investment in shares of our common stock will only occur if our stock price appreciates. We cannot assure stockholders of a positive return on their investment when they sell their shares, nor can we assure that stockholders will not lose the entire amount of their investment.

Compliance with changing regulation of corporate governance and public disclosure is costly and will pose challenges for our management.

Changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and SEC regulations have created uncertainty for public companies and significantly increased the costs and risks associated with accessing the U.S. public markets. Our management team will need to continue to devote significant time and financial resources to comply with both existing and evolving standards for public companies, and, as a result, we will continue to incur costs with compliance activities and require that management dedicate significant time and attention to compliance activities, which may impact their ability to focus on revenue-generating activities.

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We will need to raise substantial additional capital in the future to fund our operations and we may be unable to raise such funds when needed and on acceptable terms.

We regularly evaluate our capital needs and available sources of financing. When we elect to raise additional funds or additional funds are required, we may raise such funds from time to time through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements or other financing alternatives. Additional equity or debt financing or corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements may not be available on advantageous or reasonable terms, if at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms advantageous or reasonable to us, we will be prevented from our ability to generate revenues and achieve or sustain profitability will be substantially harmed.

If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities as we expect we will, our stockholders will experience dilution. Debt financing, if available, would result in increased fixed payment obligations and may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. Any debt financing or additional equity that we raise may contain terms, such as liquidation and other preferences, which are not favorable to us or our stockholders. If we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements with third parties, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams or product candidates or to grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. Should the financing we require to sustain our working capital needs be unavailable or prohibitively expensive when we require it, our business, operating results, financial condition and prospects could be materially and adversely affected and we may be unable to continue our operations.

Risks Related to Our Business and the Development, Regulatory Approval, and Commercialization of Our Drug Candidates.

Our proprietary lead drug product, SM-88, is in clinical development in three principal areas. We are currently participating in the advancement of Phase II and/or Pivotal clinical trials for pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and sarcoma. Clinical drug development is expensive, time-consuming and uncertain, and we may ultimately not be able to obtain regulatory approval for the commercialization of our lead candidate.

The risk of failure for drugs in clinical development is high and it is impossible to predict when our lead drug candidate for the treatment of cancer, SM-88, will prove effective or safe in humans or will receive regulatory approval.

The research, testing, manufacturing, labeling, approval, selling, marketing and distribution of drug products are subject to extensive regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), the European Medicines Agency (the “EMA”), national competent authorities in Europe and other non-U.S. regulatory authorities, which establish regulations that differ from country to country. We are not permitted to market SM-88 and any other drug product we may develop in the United States or in other countries until we receive approval of a New Drug Application (an “NDA”) from the FDA or marketing approval from applicable regulatory authorities outside the United States. Since SM-88 is in clinical development, it is subject to the risk of failure inherent in the drug development process. We have limited experience in conducting and managing the clinical trials necessary to obtain regulatory approvals, including approval by the FDA or EMA. Obtaining approval of an NDA or a Marketing Authorization Application (“MAA”) can be a lengthy, expensive and uncertain process. In addition, failure to comply with the FDA, EMA and/or other non-U.S. regulatory requirements prior to or following regulatory approval, could subject our Company to administrative or judicially imposed sanctions, which include, but are not limited to:

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The FDA, EMA and other non-U.S. regulatory authorities also have substantial discretion in the drug approval process. Generally, the number of nonclinical and clinical trials that will be required for regulatory approval varies depending on the drug candidate, the disease or condition that the drug candidate is designed to address and the regulations applicable to any particular drug candidate. Regulatory agencies can delay, limit or deny approval of a drug for many reasons, which include, but are not limited to:

Any delay in obtaining or failure to obtain, required approvals could materially adversely affect our ability to generate revenue from SM-88, which would likely result in significant harm to our financial position and adversely impact our share price. Furthermore, any regulatory approval to market SM-88 may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which we may market the drug. These limitations may limit the size of the market for SM-88 and any other drug product we may develop.

We have limited experience with completing large-scale, pivotal Phase II or III clinical trials or commercializing pharmaceutical products, which may make it difficult to evaluate the prospects for our future viability.

Our operations to date have been limited to financing and staffing our Company, developing our technology platform, SM-88 and other potential drug candidates, and initializing and conducting our small-scale completed Phase Ib clinical trial and the ongoing Phase II clinical trials for SM-88. We have initiated our commercialization strategy and marketing plan. In addition, our executive team does not all have prior experience in obtaining regulatory approval for a drug or commercializing an approved drug. Accordingly, we have not had experience completing a large-scale or pivotal clinical trial at TYME (whether Phase II, III, or otherwise), obtaining marketing approval, manufacturing product on a commercial scale or conducting sales and marketing activities. Consequently, predictions about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a history of successfully developing and commercializing pharmaceutical products.

If we are unable to identify and recruit enough qualified patients for our clinical trials, it could delay or prevent development of SM-88 and adversely affect our future business prospects.

The timing and length of our clinical trials depends in part on the speed at which we can identify and recruit patients to participate in clinical trials of our product candidates. Difficulties with enrollment or finding eligible patients may cause delays in current and future clinical trials. If patients are unwilling to participate in our clinical trials due to any negative publicity in the industry, interest in trials for other third-party product candidates, or for other reasons, our clinical trials could be delayed or terminated.

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We or our clinical trial sites may not be able to identify, recruit and enroll enough patients, or those with the required or desired characteristics in a clinical trial, to complete our clinical trials in a timely mann er. Patient enrollment is affected by factors including the design of clinical trial protocols, size of patient populations, eligibility criteria, proximity and availability of clinical trial sites, and other factors. If we have difficulty enrolling enough patients to conduct our clinical trials as planned, we may need to delay, limit or terminate ongoing or planned clinical trials, any of which would have an adverse effect on our business.

If clinical trials for SM-88 are prolonged, delayed or stopped, we may be unable to obtain regulatory approval and commercialize our drug on a timely basis, which would require us to incur additional costs and delay revenue.

SM-88 is in clinical development. We are conducting several Phase II trials and expect to soon initiate or have SM-88 included in Phase II/III clinical trials and their successful completion is subject to numerous factors that can cause interruptions or delays, many of which may be beyond our control. Should we experience any interruption or delay, our plans and expected future revenue could be adversely affected and could result in our inability to continue our operations.

Many factors could substantially delay or prevent the timely completion of our planned clinical trials due to several factors, which include, but are not limited to:

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Changes in regulatory requirements and guidance may also occur and we may need to significantly amend ongoing clinical trial protocols or revise planned prospecti ve clinical trial protocols to reflect such changes mandated by regulatory authorities. Amendments may require us to renegotiate terms with CROs or clinical trial sites or to resubmit clinical trial protocols and other documents to IRBs or IECs for re-revi ew, which may impact the costs, timing or successful completion of a clinical trial. Our clinical trials may be suspended or terminated at any time by the FDA, the EMA, other regulatory authorities or the IRB/IEC overseeing the clinical trial, due to a num ber of factors, which include, but are not limited to:

Any failure or significant delay in clinical and regulatory development plans for SM-88 or any other drug candidate we may pursue would likely adversely affect our ability to obtain regulatory approval for the drug and would diminish our ability to generate revenue.

The results of previous studies may not be predictive of future results, our progress in future trials for one drug candidate may not be indicative of progress in trials for other drug candidates and the results of our current and planned clinical trials may not satisfy the requirements of the FDA, the EMA or other non-U.S. regulatory authorities.

We currently have no products approved for sale and we cannot guarantee that we will ever have marketable products. Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities any sale of SM-88, we must conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our drug in humans. Clinical testing is expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and has a risk of uncertainty as to its outcome.

Clinical failure can occur at any stage of clinical development and the outcome of early clinical trials may not be predictive of the success of later clinical trials. Additionally, interim results of a clinical trial do not necessarily predict final trial results. In addition, nonclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses. In this regard, many companies that have believed their drug performed satisfactorily in clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain marketing approval of their products from regulatory organizations.

Drug candidates that have shown promising results in early clinical trials(such as our First in Human Study) and compassionate use programs (such as our Compassionate Use Patients) may still suffer significant setbacks in subsequent clinical trials. Many companies in the pharmaceutical industry, including those with greater resources and experience than TYME, as well as those that have conducted large-scale clinical trials under an IND (in contrast to our limited number of First in Human Study patients and Compassionate Use Patients, all of whom were treated outside of an IND approved clinical trial) have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials, even after obtaining promising results in earlier clinical trials. In light of these factors, and the fact that our dosage and method of delivery from our First in Human Study and Compassionate Use Patients differ from our current Phase II trials, and may differ from future Phase II or subsequent trials, no assurance can be given that our ongoing or future Phase II (or subsequent) trials may produce results similar to our First in Human Study or those experienced by Compassionate Use Patients.

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We may, from time to time, publish interim or preliminary data from our clinical trials, First in Human Study or Compassionate Use Patients. Adverse cha nges from the published data from our First in Human Study, Compassionate Use Patients, and interim data to the final data obtained from our future clinical trials could harm our business prospects. In the 30 patients who received SM-88 in our First in Hum an Study, treatment-related AEs were reported in all participating patients, of which hyperpigmentation was the only consistent, lasting AE. The most common treatment-related AEs were hyperpigmentation (100%), mild transient fatigue (57%), and mild transie nt pain (13%). Many of these patients who were treated with SM-88 were late-stage cancer patients with one or more previous treatments or existing medical conditions, which can cause AEs unrelated to SM-88. Patients may also report additional AEs that have not yet been previously experienced or otherwise predicted. Patients who will be administered SM-88 in our clinical trials are, or may be, seriously ill and as more patient data becomes available, there is a risk that future clinical outcomes may material ly differ from interim or preliminary data, First in Human Study data or Compassionate Use Patient data. Any negative material changes could have an adverse effect on our business and product development efforts.

Clinical trials may also produce negative or inconclusive results and we may decide to, or regulators may require us to, conduct additional clinical or nonclinical testing. We will be required to demonstrate with substantial evidence through well-controlled clinical trials that SM-88 is safe and effective for use in diverse populations before we can seek regulatory approvals for its commercial sale.

In addition, the design of a clinical trial can determine whether its results will support approval of a drug. Flaws in the design of a clinical trial may not become apparent until the clinical trial is well advanced. We may be unable to design and execute a clinical trial to support regulatory approval in general, or in an efficient manner given our limited resources.

In some instances, there may be significant variability in safety and/or efficacy results between different trials of the same drug due to numerous factors, including amendment to trial protocols, variability in size and type of the patient populations, adherence to the dosing regimen and other trial procedures and the rate of dropout among clinical trial subjects. We do not know whether any of the clinical trials in our current development plans will demonstrate consistent or adequate efficacy and safety to obtain regulatory approval to market SM-88, and we may need to further refine or redesign our combination drug candidate formula or modify production methodology based on such clinical trials, each of which could result in delays in the regulatory approval process.

There is always the possibility that SM-88 may not gain regulatory approval even if it achieves its primary endpoints in its Phase III clinical trials, which may only be initiated if we are successful in complying with all regulatory requirements necessary to commence Phase III clinical trials. The FDA, the EMA or other non-U.S. regulatory authorities may disagree with our trial design and/or our interpretation of data from nonclinical and clinical trials. In addition, any of these regulatory authorities may change requirements for the approval of a drug even after reviewing and providing comments or advice on a protocol for a clinical trial. In addition, any of these regulatory authorities may also approve a drug for fewer or more limited indications than requested or may grant approval that is contingent on the performance of costly post-marketing clinical trials. Further, the FDA, the EMA or other non-U.S. regulatory authorities may not accept the labeling claims that we believe would be necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of SM-88.

Even if SM-88 obtains regulatory approval, it could be subject to continual regulatory review.

If marketing authorization is obtained for our lead drug candidate, SM-88, the drug could continue to be under review by regulatory authorities. As a result, authorization could be subsequently withdrawn or restricted at any time for many reasons, including safety issues. We will be subject to ongoing obligations and oversight by regulatory authorities, including AE reporting requirements, marketing restrictions and, potentially, other post-marketing obligations, all of which may result in significant expense and limit our ability to successfully commercialize our drug product.

If there are changes in the application of legislation or regulatory policies or if problems are discovered with SM-88 or our manufacturer(s) or if we or one of our distributors, licensees or co-marketers fails to comply with regulatory requirements, the regulators could take various actions. These include imposing fines on us, imposing restrictions on the drug or its manufacture and requiring us to recall or remove the drug from the market. The

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regulators could also suspend or withdraw our marketing authorizations, requiring us to conduct additional clinical trials , change our drug labeling or submit additional applications for marketing authorization. If any of these events occurs, our ability to sell SM-88 may be impaired and we may incur substantial additional expense to comply with regulatory requirements, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and the results of operations and the value of our share price.

Preclinical development is uncertain. Our preclinical programs may experience delays or may never advance to clinical trials, which would adversely affect our ability to obtain regulatory approvals or commercialize these programs on a timely basis or at all.

In addition to SM-88, we are researching other drug platforms, such as TYME-18. Before we can commence clinical trials for a product candidate, we must complete extensive preclinical testing. Results of preclinical studies and early-stage clinical trials may not be predictive of future results. Preclinical studies and early-stage clinical trials are primarily designed to test safety, to study pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and to understand the side effects of product candidates at various doses and schedules and may not advance to later-stage clinical trials. Furthermore, the results of an early-stage clinical trial may not be predictive of the results of later-stage, large scale efficacy clinical trials.

We may not be successful in our efforts to use and expand our technology platform to build a pipeline of drug candidates.

A key element of our business strategy is to further develop and expand our technology platform so that we can build a steady pipeline that we ultimately hope will be successful in the treatment of a variety of cancers, as well as other diseases that affect health and quality-of-life. However, we may not be able to develop and obtain approval to market our drugs if regulators do not conclude that they are safe and effective. Furthermore, the potential drug candidates that we discover may not be suitable for further clinical development, whether due to the potential that they produce harmful adverse effects or possess other characteristics that indicate that they are unlikely to receive marketing approval and/or market acceptance. In addition, unexpected technical issues involving such product candidates could be encountered that could cause the products to be prohibitively too expensive to manufacture and market. If we do not continue the steady development and commercialization of products utilizing our technology platform, we will face difficulty in achieving increased revenues in future periods, which could result in significant harm to our financial position and adversely affect our share price.

We have filed patent applications relating to additional drug candidates based on our technology platform. However, to date, the FDA and other regulatory authorities have not approved products that utilize this technology platform.

In the future, we plan to develop additional drug candidates based on our technology platform. This platform incorporates novel technologies and methods and actions. Since regulators have not yet approved such a platform, the approval of the drug candidates in our pipeline is less certain than approval of drugs that do not employ such novel technologies or methods of action. We intend to work closely with the FDA, the EMA and other non-U.S. regulatory authorities to perform the requisite scientific analyses and evaluation of our methods to obtain regulatory approval for these future drug candidates. It is possible that the validation process may take time and significant expenditures of resources, require independent third-party analyses or not be accepted by the FDA, the EMA and other non-U.S. regulatory authorities. Delays or failure to obtain regulatory approval of any of our future drug candidates could adversely affect our business prospects and the value of our share price.

Even if we obtain marketing approval for SM-88 in a major pharmaceutical market such as the United States or Europe, we may never obtain approval or commercialize in other major markets, which would limit our ability to realize the drug’s full market potential.

In order to market any products in a country or territory, we must establish and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of such countries or territories regarding safety and efficacy. Clinical trials conducted in one country may not be acceptable for review by regulatory authorities in other countries and regulatory approval in one country does not mean that regulatory approval will be obtained in any other country. Approval procedures differ among countries and can involve additional testing and validation as well as varying administrative review periods. Seeking regulatory approvals in multiple countries could result in significant delays,

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diffi culties and costs and may require additional nonclinical or clinical trials, which would be costly and time-consuming or even delay or prevent the introduction of SM-88 in those countries. In addition, our failure to obtain regulatory approval in one count ry may delay or have negative effects on the process for regulatory approval in other countries. We do not have any drug candidates approved for sale in any jurisdiction, including international markets and we therefore do not have experience in obtaining regulatory approval. If we fail to comply with regulatory requirements in international markets or to obtain and maintain required approvals, our target market will be reduced and our ability to create stockholder value for SM-88 will be harmed.

In the United States, we may seek fast track or breakthrough designation for SM-88. There is no assurance that the FDA will grant either designation and even if it does, such designation may not actually lead to a faster development process, regulatory review or ultimate approval compared to conventional FDA procedure. Any achievement of fast track or breakthrough designation for SM-88 would not increase the likelihood that SM-88 will receive marketing approval in the United States.

The fast track program, a provision of the FDAMA, is designed to facilitate interactions between a sponsor and the FDA before and during submission of an NDA for an investigational agent that, alone or in combination with one or more drugs, that is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrates the potential to address an unmet medical need for that disease or condition. Under the fast track program, the FDA may consider reviewing portions of a marketing application before the sponsor submits the complete application, if the FDA determines, after a preliminary evaluation of the clinical data, that a fast track drug may be effective. A fast track designation provides the opportunity for more frequent interactions with the FDA and could make the drug eligible for priority review if supported by clinical data at the time of submission of the NDA.

The FDA is authorized to designate a new drug as a breakthrough therapy if it finds that the drug is intended, alone or in combination with one or more drugs, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. For products designated as breakthrough therapies, interaction and communication between the FDA and the sponsor of the trial can help to identify the most efficient path for clinical development while minimizing the number of patients placed in ineffective control regimens. Products designated as breakthrough therapies by the FDA are also eligible for accelerated approval.

The FDA has broad discretion whether or not to grant fast track or breakthrough designation. Accordingly, even if we believe SM-88 meets the criteria for fast track or breakthrough designation, the FDA may disagree and instead determine not to make such designation. In any event, the receipt of fast track or breakthrough designation for a drug candidate may not result in a faster development process, review or approval compared to drug candidates considered for approval under conventional FDA procedures and, in any event, does not assure ultimate approval by the FDA. The FDA may even withdraw fast track designation if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from our clinical development program. Further, in connection with fast track designation, we may be required to provide government regulators with additional manufacturing and production information, some of which we may not be able to provide in a timely manner and to the extent required by such regulators.

Should we choose to pursue orphan drug designation, we may be unable to obtain orphan drug designation or exclusivity for SM-88 or any other drug candidate we may develop. If our competitors instead can obtain orphan drug exclusivity for their products in the same indications for which we are developing SM-88 or any other drug candidate we may develop, we may be at a competitive disadvantage and may not be able to have our products approved by the applicable regulatory authority for a significant period of time, if at all. Conversely, if we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for SM-88 or any other drug we may develop, we may not be able to fully benefit from the associated marketing exclusivity.

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 SM-88 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. In the EU, the European Commission may designate a drug candidate as an orphan medicinal drug if it is a medicine for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of life-threatening or very serious conditions that affects not more than five in 10,000

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persons in the EU or it i s unlikely that marketing of the medicine would generate sufficient returns to justify the investment needed for its development. If SM-88 or any other drug candidate we may develop were to receive orphan drug designation, we still may not have market excl usivity in particular markets. There is no assurance we will be able to receive orphan drug designation for SM-88 or any other drug candidate we may develop. Further, the granting of a request for orphan drug designation does not alter the standard regulat ory requirements and process for obtaining marketing approval.

Generally, if a drug candidate with an orphan drug designation receives the first marketing approval for the indication for which it has such designation, the drug is entitled to a period of marketing exclusivity, which, subject to certain exceptions, precludes the FDA from approving the marketing application of another drug for the same indication for that time period or precludes the EMA and other national drug regulators in the EU, from accepting the marketing application for another medicinal drug for the same indication. The applicable period is seven years in the United States and ten years in the EU. The EU 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. In the EU, orphan exclusivity may also be extended for an additional two years ( i.e. a maximum of 12 years’ orphan exclusivity) if the drug is approved based on a dossier that includes pediatric clinical trial data generated in accordance with an approved pediatric investigation plan. Orphan drug exclusivity may be lost in the United States if the FDA 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 SM-88 or any other drug candidate we may develop, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the drug from competition because exclusivity can be suspended under certain circumstances. In the United States, even after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA can subsequently approve another 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. In the EU, orphan exclusivity will not prevent a marketing authorization from being granted for a similar drug in the same indication if the new drug is safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior to the first drug or if the marketing authorization holder of the first drug is unable to supply sufficient quantities of the drug.

SM-88 or any other drug product we may develop may have serious adverse, undesirable or unacceptable side effects, which may delay or prevent marketing approval. If such side effects are identified during the development of SM-88 or any other drug candidate we may develop or following such drug product’s approval, if any, we may need to abandon our development of SM-88 or such other drug product, the commercial profile of any approved label may be limited and/or we may be subject to other significant negative consequences following marketing approval, if any.

Although SM-88 and any other drug products we may develop will undergo safety testing to the extent possible and agreed to with regulatory authorities, not all adverse effects of drugs can be predicted or anticipated. SM-88, our proprietary drug product is based on a mechanism designed to utilize oxidative stress, among other techniques, to selectively kill cancer cells, yet is powerful and could lead to serious side effects that we only discover in clinical trials. Unforeseen side effects from SM-88 or any other drug product we may develop could arise either during clinical development or, if such side effects are sporadic, after it has been approved by regulatory authorities and the approved drug has been marketed, resulting in the exposure of additional patients. While our proof-of-concept clinical trial for SM-88 demonstrated a favorable safety profile, the results from future trials of SM-88 may not confirm these results. Any new therapy to kill cancer tumors is risky and may have unintended consequences. We have not fully demonstrated that SM-88 is safe in humans and we may not be able to do so.

Furthermore, we are initially developing SM-88 for patients with cancer for whom no other therapies have succeeded and survival times are frequently short. Therefore, we expect that certain subjects may die during the clinical trials and it may be difficult to ascertain whether such deaths are attributable to the underlying disease, complications from the disease, SM-88 or a combination of such factors.

The results of future clinical trials may show that SM-88 causes undesirable or unacceptable side effects, which could interrupt, delay or halt our clinical trials and result in delay of or failure to obtain, marketing approval from the FDA, the European Commission and other non-U.S. regulatory authorities or result in marketing approval

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from the FDA, the European Commission and other non-U.S. regulatory authorities with restrictive label warnings or potential d rug liability claims.

If SM-88 or any other drug candidate we may develop receives marketing approval and it is later identified as undesirable or has unacceptable side effects, we are at risk for the following actions:

Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of SM-88 or such other drug product or could substantially increase commercialization costs and expenses, which in turn could delay or prevent us from generating significant revenue from the sale of SM-88 or such other drug product.

Even if approved, if SM-88 does not achieve broad market acceptance among physicians, patients, the medical community and third-party payors, our revenue generated from its sales will be limited.

The commercial success of our SM-88 and any other drug product we may develop will depend upon its acceptance among physicians, patients and the overall medical community. The degree of market acceptance of SM-88, which would be applicable to any other drug product we may develop, will depend on a number of factors, which include, but are not limited to:

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If SM-88 or any other drug candidate we may develop is approved but does not achieve an adequate level of acceptance by physicians, patients and the overall medical community, we may not generate sufficient revenue to become profitable or to sustain operations. In addition, efforts to educate the medical community and third-party payors on the benefits of SM-88 or any other drug candidate we may develop may require significant resources and may never be successful.

We are subject to manufacturing risks that could substantially increase our costs and limit the supply of SM-88 and any other drug product we may develop.

As is likely to be common with any other drug candidate we may develop, the process of manufacturing SM-88 is complex, highly regulated and subject to several risks, which include, but are not limited to the following risks:

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We currently have very limited marketing, sales or distribution infrastructure. If we are unable to develop full sales, marketing and distribution capabilities on our own or through collaborations or if we fail to achieve adequate pricing and/or reimbursement, we will not be successful in commercializing SM-88 and any other drug product we may develop.

We currently have very limited marketing, sales and distribution capabilities because our lead drug candidate, SM-88, is still in clinical development and initial trials and our other drug candidates are only in the initial stages of development. If SM-88 is approved, we intend either to have established a sales and marketing organization with technical expertise and supporting distribution capabilities to commercialize our drug or to have outsourced this function or portions, to one or more experienced third parties. Either of these options is expensive and time-consuming. Some of these costs may be incurred well in advance of any regulatory approvals for SM-88. In addition, we may not be able to hire a sales force that is sufficient in size or has adequate expertise in the medical markets that we intend to target. Any failure or delay in the development of our internal sales, marketing and distribution capabilities or to outsource these functions, in whole or part, would adversely affect the commercialization of our products.

To the extent that we enter into collaborative agreements for marketing, sales and/or distribution, our revenue may be lower than if we directly marketed and sold SM-88. In addition, any revenue we receive will depend in whole or in part upon the efforts and success of these third-party collaborators, which are likely not to be entirely within our control. If we are unable to enter into these arrangements on acceptable terms or at all, we may not be able to successfully commercialize SM-88. If we are not successful in commercializing SM-88, either on our own or through collaborations with one or more third parties, our future revenues will suffer, we may incur significant and additional losses and we may be forced to curtail operations. These factors would have an adverse effect on our share price.

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SM-88 and any other drug product we may develop will face significant competi tion and, if competitors develop and market products that are more effective, safer or less expensive than our drug, our commercial opportunity will be negatively impacted.

The anticancer treatment industry is highly competitive and subject to rapid and significant technological changes. We are currently developing SM-88 to compete with other drugs that currently exist or are being developed. Drugs we may develop in the future are also likely to face competition from other drugs, some of which we may not be currently be aware of. In marketing our products, we will have domestic and international competitors, including major multinational pharmaceutical companies, established biotechnology companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies, universities and other research institutions. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial, manufacturing, marketing, drug development, technical and human resources than we do. Large pharmaceutical companies, in particular, have extensive experience in clinical testing, obtaining regulatory approvals, patient recruitment and manufacturing pharmaceutical products. These companies also have significantly greater research and marketing capabilities than we do and may also have products that have been approved or are in more advanced stages of development or collaborative arrangements in our target markets with leading companies and research institutions. Established pharmaceutical companies also may invest heavily to accelerate discovery and development of novel compounds or to in-license novel compounds that could make SM-88 and any other drug product we may develop obsolete. Some or all of these factors may contribute to our competitors succeeding in obtaining patent protection and/or marketing approval or developing and commercializing products in our field before we do.

There are a large number of companies working to develop and/or market various types of anticancer treatments. These treatments consist both of small molecule drugs, as well as biological drugs that work by using next-generation technology platforms to address specific cancer targets. These treatments are often combined with one another in an attempt to maximize a response rate. In addition, several companies are developing drugs that work by targeting additional specificities using a single recombinant molecule.

Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than SM-88. Our competitors also may obtain FDA, EU or other non-U.S. regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. Even if SM-88 achieves marketing approval, it may be priced at a significant premium over competitive products, if any have been approved by then, resulting in our product’s reduced competitiveness.

Further, our future ability to compete may be affected in many cases by insurers or other third-party payors seeking to encourage the use of similar or biosimilar products.

In addition, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, was adopted in March 2010 (“Health Care Reform Law”). The Health Care Reform Law is a far-reaching law intended to broaden access to health insurance, reduce or constrain the growth of health care spending, enhance remedies against fraud and abuse, add new transparency requirements for health care and health insurance industries, impose new taxes and fees on the health industry and impose additional health policy reforms. The costs and restrictions impacted by the Health Care Reform Law may impact our competitiveness or availability opportunity.

Smaller and other early-stage companies also may prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, recruiting clinical trial sites and recruiting subjects for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to or necessary for, SM-88. In addition, the biopharmaceutical industry is characterized by rapid technological changes. If we fail to stay at the forefront of technological change, we may be unable to compete effectively. Technological advances or products developed by our competitors may render our technologies or product candidates obsolete, less competitive or not economical.

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Enacted and future legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us to obtain marketing approval and commercialization of SM-88 or any other drug candidate we may develop and may affect the prices we set. Our successful commercialization will depend in part on the extent to which governmental authorities and health insurers establish adequate coverage, reimbursement and pricing policies.

In the United States, the EU, its member states and other foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes that affect the healthcare industry. These changes could prevent or delay marketing approval of SM-88 or other drug products we may develop, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to sell and recognize revenue. Among policy makers and payors in the United States and elsewhere, there is continued interest in promoting changes in the healthcare industry, with stated goals that include containing health care costs, improving quality and/or expanding access to health care.

In the United States, there have been a number of proposals for increased federal and state government regulation of, or involvement in, the pricing and/or purchasing of drugs. For example, a rule proposed by the Trump administration would eliminate rebates that pharmaceutical companies pay to pharmacy benefit managers, which insurance companies and large employers use to negotiate lower drug prices; and the Prescription Drug Price Relief Act, introduced in the Senate in January 2019, would require the HHS Secretary to assure that Americans don’t pay more for prescription drugs than the median price of five countries (Canada, UK, France, Germany and Japan).There have also been state legislative efforts to address drug costs, which generally have focused on increasing transparency about drug costs and limiting drug prices.  Some such legislation has been subject to legal challenges.

In addition, the Health Care Reform Law made changes affecting the pharmaceutical industry by increasing the mandated Medicaid rebate from 15.1% to 23.1%, expanding the rebate to apply to drugs sold to Medicaid managed care organizations, and increasing the types of entities eligible for the federal 340B drug discount program. The Health Care Reform Law also requires pharmaceutical manufactures to pay a 50% point of service discount to Medicare Part D beneficiaries when they are in the Medicare Part D coverage gap; and beginning in 2019, that discount increases to 70%, as a result of the Balanced Budget Act of 2018. Also, pharmaceutical manufacturers are required to pay an annual non-tax deductible health care reform fee (which is assessed in proportion to prior year branded pharmaceutical sales to certain government programs). If the Health Care Reform Law is not further amended, repealed or replaced, certain of its components will continue to be phased in until 2022. While we anticipate continued efforts to invalidate, modify, repeal or replace the Health Care Reform Law, we expect that certain aspects of the Law could, nonetheless, negatively impact drug reimbursement, which could negatively affect the price we may charge for, and market acceptance of, any products we develop that receive regulatory approval. Moreover, growing state budgetary pressures increase the likelihood that changes in healthcare reimbursement at the state level in response to changes made to, or invalidation, repeal or replacement of, the Health Care Reform Law and/or changes in payment mechanisms of federally supported benefit programs, would be adverse to us. Potential repeal of the Health Care Reform Law, ongoing legislative, regulatory and administrative policy changes to that law, the results of congressional and state elections, and pending litigation challenging certain aspects of the Health Care Reform Law or its funding continue to create uncertainty about the effects of the Health Care Reform Law. The time frames for conclusion, final outcomes and ultimate impact of these developments are uncertain.  Given the inherent difficulty of foreseeing the nature and scope of future changes to the Health Care Reform Law and how states, businesses and individuals will respond to those changes, the Company cannot predict the impact, but it is reasonably possible that invalidation, repeal or replacement of, or other changes to, that law and/or states’ responses to such changes could have a significant adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations, financial position, prospects, and cash flow.

The delivery of health care in the EU, including the establishment and operation of health services and the pricing and reimbursement of medicines, is almost exclusively a matter of national, rather than EU, law and policy. National governments and health service providers have different priorities and approaches to the delivery of health care and the pricing and reimbursement of health care products. In general, however, the health care budgetary constraints in most EU Member States have resulted in restrictions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines by relevant health service providers. Coupled with ever-increasing EU and national regulatory burdens on those wishing to develop and market products, this could prevent or delay, in the EU, marketing approval of SM-88 and other drug products we may develop, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to commercialize any products for which we obtain marketing approval. With respect to other countries outside of the United States, too, risks include changes in medical reimbursement policies and programs and pricing restrictions in key markets; multiple regulatory requirements that could restrict the Company’s ability to manufacture and sell its products in key markets; trade protection measures and import or export licensing requirements; foreign exchange

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rate fluctuations; and diminished protection of intellectual property in some countries., Recently, sev eral important multinational organizations, including the United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO) and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), have issued  reports and policy recommendations relating to international pharm aceutical pricing (e.g., 2016 UN High Level Panel Report on Access to Medicines).  Late in 2018, reports critical of the pharmaceutical industry’s pricing practices were published by the OECD and WHO; these will exert additional pricing pressures. In addit ion, instability, disruption, or destruction in a region could affect the Company’s ability to sell its products there.

The Company is currently subject to numerous government laws and regulations and could become subject to new laws and regulations. The costs of compliance with such laws and regulations, or the negative results of non-compliance, could adversely affect the business, cash flow, results of operations, financial position and prospects of the Company. These laws and regulations could include (a) additional health care reform laws in the United States or other countries, including additional mandatory discounts or fees applicable to drug manufacturers; (b) new anti-bribery and corruption laws; (c) new laws, regulations and judicial or other governmental decisions affecting pricing, drug reimbursement, and access or marketing within or across jurisdictions; (d) new data privacy regulations and enforcement; (e) new global regulatory requirements for reporting payments and other value transfers to healthcare professionals; and (f) importation restrictions, embargos, trade sanctions and legislative or other regulatory changes affecting trade.

If any drug liability lawsuits are successfully brought against us or any of our collaborators, we may incur substantial liabilities and may be required to limit commercialization of SM-88 and any other drug product we may develop.

We face an inherent risk of drug liability lawsuits related to the testing of SM-88 and any other drug candidate we may develop that is intended to treat seriously ill patients. In addition, we face risk of liability lawsuits if SM-88 or any of other drug product of ours is approved by regulatory authorities and introduced commercially. Drug liability claims may be brought against us or our collaborators, if any, by subjects enrolled in our clinical trials, patients, health care providers or others using, administering or selling SM-88 or such other drug product. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against any such claims, we may incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of their merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in, but are not limited to:

If SM-88 is approved for commercial sale, we will be highly dependent upon consumer perception and the safety and quality of SM-88. We could be adversely affected if we are subject to negative publicity or if SM-88 proves to be or is asserted to be, harmful to patients. Because of our dependence upon consumer perceptions, any adverse publicity associated with illness or other adverse effects resulting from patients’ use or misuse of SM-88 could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations. This would also be true with respect to any other drug product we may develop, receive regulatory approval of and, thereafter, seek to market.

We hold clinical trial insurance for our ongoing SM-88 clinical trials. We also intend to obtain drug liability insurance coverage at appropriate levels for our operations, which will vary as the level of our operations

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vary during our growth from a R&D company to a company manufacturing and/or marketing drugs to the public. Our current and planned insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur. We also may need to increase our insurance coverage when we begin the commercialization of SM-88. Insurance coverage can be expensive for pharmaceutical products and candidates. As a result, we may be unable to obtain or maintain sufficient liability insurance at a reasonable cost to protect us against losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. A successful drug liability claim or series of claims brought against us, particularly if judgm ents exceed any insurance coverage we may have, could decrease our cash resources and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and could possibly cause us to cease our operations in their entirety.

Our management lacks experience in obtaining FDA approval of products, which could result in delays or the failure to obtain required regulatory approval of our products.

Although some of our management team has experience in creating and marketing various products, most members of our executive team have not previously organized, managed or completed FDA-required submissions and clinical trials concerning new drug products. While we intend to retain employees, advisors and consultants with experience in the FDA approval process and have retained and utilized a number of such employees, advisors and consultants currently and in the past, this lack of experience by our chief executive and some operating officers could result in delays in obtaining necessary regulatory approvals, both in conducting clinical trials and final marketing approvals; additional costs; and the possibility that approvals will not be obtained due to the failure to comply with the regulatory approval process. Such delays, costs and/or failure would likely adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and could possibly cause us to cease our operations in their entirety

Risks Related to our Financial Condition and Need for Additional Capital

We have incurred significant losses since inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future. We have no products approved for commercial sale and to date we have not generated any revenue or profit from drug sales. We may never realize revenue or profitability.

We are a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company with a limited operating history. We have incurred significant losses since our inception. As of March 31, 2019, our accumulated deficit was $85,814,696. Our losses have resulted principally from expenses incurred in the discovery and development of SM-88 and from general and administrative expenses incurred while building our business infrastructure. We expect to continue to incur losses for the near future. Furthermore, we expect these losses to increase as we continue our research and development of and seek regulatory approval for our drug candidate SM-88 and any other drug candidates we may develop, prepare for and begin to commercialize SM-88 or any other regulatory-approved products and add infrastructure and personnel to support our drug development efforts and operations as a public company. The net losses and negative cash flows from operations incurred to date, together with expected future losses, have had and likely will continue to have, an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital. The amount of future net losses will depend, in part, on the rate of future growth of our expenses and our ability to generate revenue.

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with drug development, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of increased expenses or when or if, we will be able to realize revenue or achieve profitability. For example, our expenses could increase if FDA or EMA require us to conduct supplemental clinical trials not included in our current development plan or if there are any delays in completing our planned clinical trials or in the development of SM-88 or any other drug product we may pursue.

To become and remain profitable, we must succeed in the development and commercialization of drug products with significant market potential. This will require us to be successful in a range of challenging activities for which we are only in the preliminary stages, including, with respect to the near term, developing SM-88, obtaining regulatory approval and manufacturing, marketing and selling SM-88. We may never succeed with these activities or generate revenue from drug sales that is significant enough to achieve profitability. Our ability to generate future revenue from drug sales depends heavily on our success in many areas, which include, but are not limited to:

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These factors applicable to SM-88 would be applicable to any other drug candidate we may develop. Even if SM-88 or another drug candidate that we develop is approved for commercial sale, we anticipate incurring significant costs associated with commercialization. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties with drug 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. Even if we achieve profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain profitability in subsequent periods. Our failure to realize revenue or become or remain profitable could depress our market value and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, develop other drug candidates or continue our operations. A decline in the value of our shares could also cause investors in our common stock (or other securities we may issue in the future) to lose all or part of their investment.

We will require substantial additional funding, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all and, if not available, may require us to delay, scale back or cease our drug development programs or operations.

In addition to SM-88, we seek to advance multiple drug candidates through our research and clinical development process. The completion of the development and the potential commercialization of SM-88 or any other drug candidate will require substantial funds. Our future financing requirements will depend on many factors, some of which are beyond our control, which include, but are not limited to:

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Until we can generate sufficient drug and royalty revenue to finance our cash requirements, which we may never do, we expect to finance future cash needs through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements and other marketing and distribution arrangements. Any additional fundraising efforts may divert management’s attention from day-to-day activities and financing may not be available to us when we need it or financings may not be available on favorable terms. If we raise additional capital through marketing and distribution arrangements or other collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish certain valuable rights to our drug candidates, technologies, future revenue streams or research programs and/or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we raise additional capital through public or private equity offerings, as we expect to do, the ownership interests of our then existing stockholders could be diluted and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect stockholders’ rights.

If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing when needed and on favorable terms, we may have to delay, reduce the scope of or suspend one or more of our clinical trials or research and development programs or our commercialization efforts.

We may expend our limited resources to pursue SM-88 for certain indications that may not be the most profitable or do not have the greatest likelihood of success.

Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we currently are focusing our research programs on SM-88 for the treatment of specified cancer therapies. As a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other drug candidates or other indications that later prove to have greater commercial potential. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on current and future research and development programs and drug candidates for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable products.

If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for SM-88 or any other drug candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases where it would have been advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights.

If we do not achieve our projected development goals in the periods we announce and expect, the commercialization of our products may be delayed and, as a result, our stock price may decline.

Over the course of our development efforts, we will estimate the successful completion of various scientific, clinical, regulatory and other drug development goals, which we refer to as milestones. These milestones may include the commencement or completion of clinical trials and the submission of planned regulatory filings. Occasionally, we may publicly announce the expected timing of some of these milestones. All of these projected milestone timelines will be based on a variety of assumptions. The actual timing of achieving these milestones can vary dramatically compared to our estimates, in some cases for reasons beyond our control. If we do not meet these milestones as publicly announced, the commercialization of our products may be delayed and, as a result, our stock price may decline.

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Risks Related to our Reliance on Third Parties

We 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 these trials.

We will not independently conduct clinical trials for SM-88 and may not do so for any other drug product we may develop. We will and may rely on third parties, such as CROs, clinical data management organizations, medical institutions and clinical investigators to perform these functions. Our reliance on these third parties for clinical development activities reduces our control over these activities but does not relieve us of our responsibilities. For example, the FDA requires us to comply with standards, commonly referred to as good clinical practices, for conducting, recording and reporting the results of clinical trials to assure that data and reported results are credible, accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of subjects in clinical trials are protected, even though we are not in control of these processes. These third parties also may 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, regulatory approvals for SM-88 or other products we may develop and will not be able to, or may be delayed in our efforts to, successfully commercialize SM-88 and any other drug product we may develop.

We also will rely on other third parties to store and distribute supplies for our clinical trials. Any performance failure on the part of our existing or future distributors could delay clinical development or regulatory approval of SM-88, producing additional losses and depriving us of potential revenue.

We intend to rely on third-party contract manufacturing organizations to manufacture and supply SM-88 for us. If one of our suppliers or manufacturers fails to perform adequately or fulfill our needs, we may be required to incur significant costs and devote significant efforts to find new suppliers or manufacturers. We may also face delays in the development and commercialization of SM-88 and any other drug product we may develop.

We currently have limited experience in and we do not own facilities for, clinical-scale manufacturing of SM-88, and we will rely upon third-party contract manufacturing organizations to manufacture and supply drug for our clinical trials. The manufacture of pharmaceutical products in compliance with the FDA’s cGMP requires significant expertise and capital investment, including the development of advanced manufacturing techniques and process controls. Manufacturers of pharmaceutical products often encounter difficulties in production, including difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control, including drug stability, quality assurance testing, shortages of qualified personnel, as well as compliance with strictly enforced cGMP requirements and other federal and state regulatory requirements and foreign regulations. If our manufacturers were to encounter any of these difficulties or otherwise fail to comply with their obligations to us or under applicable regulations, it would jeopardize our ability to supply investigational drug for our clinical trials. Any delay or interruption in the supply of clinical trial materials could delay the completion of our clinical trials, increase the costs associated with maintaining our clinical development programs and, depending upon the period of delay, require us to commence new trials at significant additional expense or terminate the ongoing trials.

All manufacturers used to formulate the components of SM-88 must comply with cGMP requirements, which are enforced by the FDA through its facilities inspection program. These requirements include, among other things, quality control, quality assurance and the documentation and maintenance of records. Manufacturers of our drug candidates may be unable to comply with cGMP requirements and/or with other FDA, state and foreign regulatory requirements. The FDA or similar foreign regulatory agencies may also implement new standards at any time or change their interpretation and enforcement of existing standards for the manufacture, packaging or testing of drug products. We have little control over our manufacturers’ compliance with these regulations and standards and a failure to comply with these requirements may result in fines and civil penalties, suspension of production, suspension or delay in drug approval, drug seizure or recall or withdrawal of a drug approval. If the safety of any drug supplied is compromised due to a manufacturers’ failure to adhere to applicable laws or for other reasons, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize SM-88 and as a result, may be held liable for any injuries sustained. Any of these factors could cause a delay of clinical trial completion, regulatory submission, approval or commercialization of SM-88, increase our costs or impair our reputation.

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We currently rely on third party suppliers for SM-88 and for the com ponents of MPS used with SM-88. Supplies are obtained through limited term supply agreements under individual purchase orders. At this time, no supply agreements place exceeds 18 months. Although we believe alternative sources of supplies exist, the number of third-party suppliers with the necessary manufacturing and regulatory expertise and facilities is limited, could be more expensive and it could take a significant amount of time to source, any of which would adversely affect our business. New suppliers of SM-88 would be required to qualify under applicable regulatory requirements and would need to have sufficient rights under applicable IP laws to the method of manufacturing the drug candidate. Obtaining the necessary FDA approvals or other qualificatio ns under applicable regulatory requirements and ensuring non-infringement of third-party IP rights could result in a significant interruption of supplies and could require the new manufacturer(s) to bear significant additional costs which may be passed on to us.

Our reliance on third parties may require us to share our trade secrets, which increase the possibility that a competitor could discover them or that our trade secrets could be misappropriated or disclosed.

Because we rely on third parties to assist in the research, development and manufacture of SM-88 and may do so with any other drug candidate we may develop, we must, at times, share trade secrets with such third parties. We will seek to protect our proprietary technology in part by initially entering into confidentiality agreements and, if applicable, material transfer agreements, consulting agreements or other similar agreements with our advisors, employees and third-party contractors prior to disclosing any proprietary information. These agreements typically limit the rights of third parties to use or disclose our confidential information, which include our trade secrets. Despite the contractual provisions employed when working with third parties, the need to share trade secrets and other confidential information increases the risk that such trade secrets could become known by our competitors, are inadvertently incorporated into the technology of others or are disclosed or used in violation of these agreements. Given that our proprietary position is based, in part, on our know-how and trade secrets, a competitor’s independent discovery of our trade secrets or other unauthorized use or disclosure could impair our competitive position and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

In addition, these agreements would typically restrict the ability of our advisors, employees, third-party contractors and consultants to publish data that could potentially relate to our trade secrets, even though our agreements may contain certain limited publication rights. For example, any academic institution that we may collaborate with in the future can be, based on customary practice, expected to be granted rights to publish data arising out of such collaboration, provided that we are notified in advance and given the opportunity to delay publication for a limited time period in order for us to secure patent protection of IP rights arising from the collaboration, in addition to the opportunity to remove confidential or trade secret information from any such publication. In the future, we may also conduct joint research and develop programs that may require us to share trade secrets under the terms of such research. Despite our efforts to protect our trade secrets, our competitors may discover our trade secrets, either through breach of our agreements with third parties, independent development, publication of information by any of our third-party collaborators or otherwise. A competitor’s discovery of our trade secrets could impair our competitive position and could have an adverse impact on our business.

We may periodically enter into license agreements with third parties with respect to SM-88 and any other drug candidates we may develop that may place the development of SM-88 and any other drug candidates partially or entirely outside of our control, may require us to relinquish important rights or may otherwise be on terms unfavorable to us. If our collaborations are not successful, SM-88 and any other drug candidates we may choose to develop may not reach their full market potential.

For financial and efficiency reasons, we may enter into licensing or collaboration agreements with third parties. Collaborations, if any are entered into, involving SM-88 and any other drug candidates we may develop, will be and are subject to numerous risks, which may include, but are not limited to:

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Risks Related to the Operation of our Company

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

We are highly dependent on our chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer and the other members of our executive and scientific teams. Our executives may terminate their employment with us at any time. The loss of the services of any of these people could impede the achievement of our research, development and commercialization objectives.

Recruiting and retaining qualified scientific, clinical, administrative, operations, manufacturing and sales and marketing personnel will also be critical to our success. We may not be able to attract and retain these personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for similar personnel. In addition, we rely on consultants and advisors, including scientific and clinical advisors, to assist us in formulating our research and development, preparing filings and communicating with the FDA and other regulatory authorities, preparing for and the conducting of clinical trials and formulating commercialization strategies. Our consultants and advisors may be employed or contracted by other businesses in addition to ours and may have commitments with other entities that may limit their availability to us.

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To date, our drug discovery process and development program has been led by Steve Hoffman, our chief executive and science officer. He has been instrumental in providing scientific, technical and business expertise. We do not currently maintain “key person” insurance on Mr. Hoffman or any of our other executives or employee s. While we may, in the future, seek to obtain key man insurance on Mr. Hoffman and/or such other executives and employees, we may not be able to obtain the insurance at favorable rates or at all. Any insurance proceeds we may receive under such “key perso n” insurance may not adequately compensate us for the loss of Mr. Hoffman’s or other insured’s services. Development of SM-88 could ultimately continue without Mr. Hoffman’s or others’ contributions, but future development of SM-88 and all other drug produ cts in our pipeline would be adversely affected without his continued involvement.

We are highly reliant on our executives, but certain of them, including our chief executive and science officer, Steven Hoffman, and our chief medical officer, Giuseppe Del Priore, have other business interests to which they devote their attention. From time to time, these other interests may distract their attention from our company, generate reputational risk for our company or give rise to conflicts of interest that must be resolved through the exercise of sound judgment consistent with their fiduciary duties to us. Our ability to attract and retain investors, collaborators, and employees could be adversely affected by damage to our reputation resulting from various sources, such as our executives’ other business interests, employee misconduct, litigation, or regulatory outcomes.

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

As of March 31, 2019, we had 15 full-time employees. Over the next several years, we expect to experience significant growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations. To manage our anticipated future growth, including the potential development of new products, we must continue to implement and improve our managerial, operational and financial systems, expand our facilities and recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Future growth would impose significant added responsibilities on management. Due to our limited financial resources and the limited experience of our management team in managing a life sciences 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. Some members of our current management have limited experience in managing a company that had the life sciences research and development and operational growth we anticipate for our Company. The physical 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.

Business disruptions (domestic and/or international) could seriously harm our future revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.

Our operations could be subject to equipment failures, labor shortages, labor strikes, earthquakes, power shortages, telecommunications failures, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, terrorist activities, medical epidemics, riots, crime, act of foreign enemies, war, nationalization, government sanction, blockage, embargo and other natural or manmade disasters or business interruptions. The occurrence of any of these business disruptions could seriously harm our operations and financial condition and could increase our costs and expenses. Our corporate headquarters is located in New York, New York with another office in Bedminster, New Jersey. Our current and future, third-party collaborators, future partners, supplies, CROs and investigational sites are or will be, located throughout the United States or internationally and may be located near major high-risk terrorist targets, earthquake faults, flood and fire zones. The ultimate impact on us, our significant partners and suppliers as well as our and their general infrastructures being located near major high-risk terrorist targets, earthquake faults, flood and fire zones and being consolidated in certain geographical areas is unknown, but our operations and financial condition could suffer in the event of a major terrorist attack, earthquake, fire, flood or other natural or manmade disaster.

Our business is also subject to risks associated with conducting international business. If we pursue and/or obtain approval to commercialize any approved products outside of the United States, a variety of risks associated with international operations could materially adversely affect our business. Some of our third-party collaborators, future partners, suppliers, CROs and investigational sites could be located outside the United States. Accordingly, our future success could be harmed by a variety of factors, which include, but are not limited to:

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We may seek approvals of our drug candidates in the EU and United Kingdom. On June 23, 2016, the electorate in the United Kingdom voted in favor of leaving the EU, commonly referred to as Brexit. Negotiations are taking place to determine the future terms of the UK’s relationship with the EU, including the terms of withdrawal, the terms of future trading and relations and any potential transition periods. The impact of Brexit on the regulatory regime with respect to the approval of our product candidates in the United Kingdom or the EU is uncertain, and could prevent or delay us from commercializing our product candidates in the United Kingdom or the EU and restrict our ability to generate revenue and achieve and sustain profitability. If any of these outcomes occur, we may be forced to restrict or delay efforts to seek regulatory approval in the United Kingdom and/or EU for our product candidates, which could significantly and materially harm our business.

We may be party to legal proceedings that could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s liquidity, financial position, and results of operations, as well as its reputation.

The Company has limited experience in litigation and other legal proceedings, but any lawsuit brought against us or legal proceeding that we may bring to enforce our rights could result in substantial costs, divert the time and attention of our management, result in counterclaims (whether meritorious or as a litigation tactic), result in substantial monetary judgments or settlement costs and harm our reputation, any of which could seriously harm our business. For example, during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2019, we, along with our CEO and CFO, were named in a securities lawsuit by a purported stockholder, in which the plaintiff alleged to represent a class of stockholders and asserted claims under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Though such complaint was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff, we could be subject to lawsuits in the future and any litigation or claim against us, even without merit, may cause us to incur substantial costs, and could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our core business, and harm our reputation.

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Additionally, we may seek to enforce our rights under contractual arrang ements and otherwise. Even if successful, litigation or other legal proceedings to enforce our rights could be expensive and time consuming and could divert management’s attention from managing our business.

Our internal computer systems or those of our CROs or other contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches, which could result in a material disruption of our drug development program.

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems, and those of our CROs and other third parties on which we rely, are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. If such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our drug development programs. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or ongoing or planned clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of or damage to our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and the further development of our product candidates could be delayed.

Cyber-attacks are increasing in their frequency, sophistication and intensity, and have become increasingly difficult to detect. Cybersecurity incidents resulting in the failure of our systems to operate effectively or to integrate with other systems, including those of third-parties with whom we rely on for research, clinical trial services or other business and administrative services, or a breach in security or other unauthorized access of these systems, may affect our ability to manage and maintain our operations. A breach in security, unauthorized access resulting in misappropriation, theft, or sabotage with respect to our proprietary and confidential information, including research or clinical data, could require significant investments of capital and time to remediate and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, any such event that leads to unauthorized access, use or disclosure of personal information, including personal information regarding patients in our clinical trials or other studies or our employees, could harm our reputation, require us to comply with federal and/or state breach notification laws, and otherwise subject us to liability under laws and regulations that protect the privacy and security of personal information. Security breaches and other inappropriate access can be difficult to detect, and any delay in identifying them may lead to increased harm of the type described above. There can be no assurance that the security measures we have implemented to protect our information technology systems and infrastructure will prevent service interruptions or security breaches that could adversely affect our business.

Our business is also subject to risks associated with conducting international business. If we obtain approval to commercialize any approved products outside of the United States, a variety of risks associated with international operations could materially adversely affect our business. Some of our third-party collaborators, future partners, suppliers, CROs and investigational sites could be located outside the United States. Accordingly, our future success could be harmed by a variety of factors, which include, but are not limited to:

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Use of social media could give rise to liability, breaches of data security, or reputational harm.

We and our employees use social media to communicate externally. There is risk that the use of social media by us or our employees to communicate about our product candidates or business may give rise to liability, lead to the loss of trade secrets or other intellectual property, or result in public exposure of personal information of our employees, clinical trial patients, customers, and others. Furthermore, negative posts or comments about us or our product candidates in social media could seriously damage our reputation, brand image, and goodwill. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, operating results, and financial condition and could adversely affect the price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Intellectual Property

Our ability to successfully commercialize our technology and drug candidate may be materially adversely affected if we are unable to obtain and maintain effective IP.

Our success is largely dependent on our ability to obtain and maintain patent and other IP protection in the United States and in other countries with respect to our proprietary technology and drug candidates. In some circumstances, we may not have the right to control the preparation, filing and prosecution of patent applications or to maintain or enforce the patents, covering technology or products that we license to third parties or, conversely, that we may license from third parties. Therefore, if we are subject to patent infringement, we cannot be certain that these patents and applications will be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. In addition, if third parties who license patents to us or from us fail to maintain such patents or lose rights to those patents, licensing rights may be reduced or eliminated.

We have sought to protect our proprietary position by filing patent applications in the United States and abroad related to our novel technologies and products that are important to our business. This process is expensive and time-consuming and we may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. In addition, we may not pursue or obtain patent protection in all relevant markets. It is also possible that we fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output before it is too late to obtain patent protection. Our pending and future patent applications may be insufficient to protect our technology or products, completely or in part. In addition, existing and any future patents we obtain may not be extensive enough to prevent others from using our technologies or from developing competing drugs and technologies.

The patent position of specialty pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies generally is highly uncertain and involves complex legal and factual questions for which many legal principles remain unresolved. In recent years, patent rights have been the subject of significant litigation and, as a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights are highly uncertain. Our pending and future patent applications may result in patents not being issued to us in the United States or in other countries. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection. In addition, the laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Publications of discoveries in scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries and patent applications in the United States and other countries are typically not published until 18 months after filing or in some cases not at all. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our patents or pending patent applications or that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions. In addition, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the “USPTO”), might require that the term of a patent issuing from a pending patent application be disclaimed and limited to the

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term of another patent that is commonly owned or names a common inventor. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights is highly uncertain.

Recent or future patent reform legislation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents. We may become involved in opposition, interference, derivation, inter parties review or other proceedings that challenge our patent rights or the patent rights of others and the outcome of any proceedings are highly uncertain. An adverse determination in any such proceeding could reduce the scope of or invalidate our patent rights, allowing third parties to commercialize our technology or drug products and compete directly with us, without payment to us or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize products without infringing third-party patent rights.

Even if our patent applications issue as patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection, prevent competitors from competing with us or otherwise provide us any competitive advantage. Our competitors may be able to circumvent our owned or licensed patents by developing similar or alternative technologies or drugs in a non-infringing manner. The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its scope, validity or enforceability and our owned and licensed patents may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the United States and abroad. Such challenges may result in the patent claims of our owned or licensed patents being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable. This could limit our ability to stop or prevent us from stopping others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and drugs or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology and drugs. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new drug candidates, patents protecting use of our drug might expire before or shortly after SM-88 or any other drug product we develop is commercialized. As a result, our patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to our drug products or otherwise provide us with a competitive advantage.

We may not be able to protect our IP rights throughout the world.

Filing, prosecuting and defending patents for SM-88 or any other drug product we may develop throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive. Competitors may use our technologies in countries where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own drugs and, further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection but where enforcement is not as strong as in the United States. These products may compete with our drug products in countries where we do not have any issued patents and our patent claims or other IP rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from so competing. Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending IP rights in foreign countries. The legal systems of a number of countries, particularly a number of developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other IP protection, including those relating to biopharmaceuticals, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or marketing of competing products against third parties in violation of our proprietary rights. Further, the initiation of proceedings to enforce or protect our patent rights in foreign countries could result in substantial cost and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business.

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

The USPTO and various non-U.S. patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other provisions during and following the patent prosecution process. Our failure to comply with such requirements could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application, which would result in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an event, competitors might be able to enter the market earlier than would have been the case if our patents were in force.

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We may become involved in lawsuits or other proceedings to protect or enforce our patents or other IP, which could be expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful.

Competitors may infringe or otherwise violate our patents, trademarks, copyrights or other IP. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we or our licensees may be required to file infringement claims, which can be expensive and time-consuming. For example, if we need to file patent infringement lawsuits in the future against manufacturers of generic pharmaceuticals that have filed ANDAs with the FDA seeking approval to manufacture and sell generic versions of SM-88 or any other drug product we may develop, we anticipate that the prosecution of such lawsuits will require a significant amount of time and attention from our chief executive officer, chief financial officer and other senior executives. In addition, in a patent infringement proceeding, a court may decide that our patent is invalid or unenforceable or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question. An adverse result in the litigation or proceeding could put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly. Such a result could limit our ability to prevent others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and drugs, limit our ability to prevent others from launching generic versions of our drug products and could limit the duration of patent protection for our products, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business. A successful challenge to our patents could reduce or eliminate our right to receive royalties. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with IP litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during litigation.

Our commercial success depends significantly on our ability to operate without infringing the patents and other proprietary rights of third parties.

Our success will depend in part on our ability to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of third parties. Other entities may have or obtain patents or proprietary rights that could limit our ability to make, use, sell, offer for sale or import/export SM-88, or any other approved drug, or impair our competitive position.

Patents could be issued to third parties that we may ultimately be found to infringe. Third parties may have or obtain valid and enforceable patents or proprietary rights that could block us from developing drug candidates using our technology. Our failure to obtain a license to any technology that we require may materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, our failure to maintain a license to any technology that we require for our drug products may also materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, we would be exposed to a threat of litigation.

In the pharmaceutical industry, significant litigation and other proceedings regarding patents, patent applications, trademarks and other IP rights have become commonplace. The types of situations in which we may become a party to such litigation or proceedings include:

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These lawsuits would likely be costly and cou ld affect our results of operations and divert the attention of our management and scientific personnel. There is a risk that a court would decide that we or our collaborators are infringing the third party’s patents and would order us or our collaborators to stop the activities covered by the patents. In that event, we or our collaborators may not have a viable alternative to the technology protected by the patent and may need to halt work on the affected drug candidate or cease commercialization of an app roved product. In addition, there is a risk that a court will order us or our collaborators to pay the other party damages. An adverse outcome in any litigation or other proceeding could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties and require us to cease using the technology that is at issue or to license the technology from third parties. We may not be able to obtain any required licenses on commercially acceptable terms or at all. Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on ou r business.

The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have produced a significant number of patents and it may not always be clear to industry participants, including us, which patents cover various types of products or methods of use. The coverage of patents is subject to interpretation by the courts and the interpretation is not always uniform or predictable. If we are sued for patent infringement, we would need to demonstrate that our products or methods do not infringe the patent claims of the relevant patent or that the patent claims are invalid. We may not be able to do this because proving invalidity is difficult. For example, in the United States, proving invalidity requires a showing of clear and convincing evidence to overcome the presumption of validity enjoyed by issued patents. Even if we are successful in these proceedings, we may incur substantial costs and divert management’s 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. 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 SM-88 or any other drug candidate to market and be precluded from manufacturing or selling one or more of our drug products.

As noted previously, the cost of any patent litigation or other proceeding, even if resolved in our favor, could be substantial. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the cost of such litigation and proceedings more effectively than we can because of their substantially greater resources. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the marketplace. Patent litigation and other proceedings may also absorb significant management time. proceedings to determine the priority of invention, which could jeopardize our patent rights and potentially provide a third-party with a dominant patent position;

For example, we may sometimes need to collaborate with U.S. and non-U.S. academic institutions to accelerate our nonclinical research or development under written agreements with these institutions. Typically, these institutions could provide us with an option to negotiate a license to any of the institution’s rights in technology resulting from our collaboration. Regardless of such option, we may be unable to negotiate a license within the specified timeframe or under terms that are acceptable to us. If we are unable to do so, the institution may offer the IP rights to other parties, potentially blocking our ability to pursue the applicable drug candidate or program.

In addition, companies that perceive us to be a competitor may be unwilling to assign or license rights to us. We also may be unable to license or acquire third-party IP rights on terms that would allow us to make an appropriate return on our investment. If we are unable to successfully obtain a license to third-party IP rights necessary for the development of our drug products, we may have to abandon its development and therefore, our business and financial condition could suffer.

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We may be unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, thus harming our business and competitive position.

In addition to our patented technology, we rely upon trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information to develop and maintain our competitive position, which we seek to protect, in part, by confidentiality agreements with our current and future employees, as well as our collaborators and consultants. We also have agreements with our employees and selected consultants that obligate them to assign their inventions to us. However, while it is our policy to require our employees and contractors who may be involved in the conception or development of IP to execute such agreements, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who in fact conceives or develops IP that we regard as our own. In addition, it is possible that technology relevant to our business will be independently developed by a person that is not a party to such an agreement. While to our knowledge the confidentiality of our trade secrets has not been compromised, if the employees, consultants or collaborators that are parties to these agreements breach or violate the terms of these agreements, we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach or violation and we could lose our trade secrets through such breaches or violations. Further, our trade secrets could be disclosed, misappropriated or otherwise become known or be independently discovered by our competitors. In addition, IP laws in foreign countries may not protect our IP to the same extent as the laws of the United States. If our trade secrets are disclosed or misappropriated, it would harm our ability to protect our rights and adversely affect our business

We may be subject to claims that our employees and outside contractors have wrongfully used or disclosed IP from their former employers and clients. IP litigation or proceedings could cause us to spend substantial resources and distract our personnel from their normal responsibilities.

Although we will try to ensure that our employees and outside contractors do not use the proprietary information or the know-how of others in their work for us and we have no knowledge of any instances of wrongful use or disclosure by our employees and outside contractors to date, we may be subject to claims that we or these employees and outside contractors have used or disclosed IP, including trade secrets or other proprietary information from their former employers or clients. Litigation may be necessary to defend our Company against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable IP rights, personnel or consulting services. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to IP claims may cause us to incur significant expenses and could distract our scientific and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. Should this occur and securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our common stock. This type of litigation or proceeding could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce resources available to us for development activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to adequately conduct such litigation or proceedings. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their substantially greater financial resources. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other IP-related proceedings could adversely affect our ability to compete in the marketplace.

If we do not obtain protection under the Hatch-Waxman Amendments and similar non-U.S. legislation for extending the term of patents covering SM-88 and any other drug product we may develop, our business may be materially harmed.

Depending upon the timing, duration and conditions of FDA marketing approval of SM-88 and any other drug product we may develop in the future, one or more of our U.S. patents may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 (the “Hatch-Waxman Amendments”) and similar legislation in the EU. The Hatch-Waxman Amendments permit a patent term extension of up to five years for a patent covering an approved drug as compensation for effective patent term lost during drug development and the FDA regulatory review process. However, we may not receive an extension if we fail to apply within applicable deadlines, fail to apply prior to expiration of relevant patents or otherwise fail to satisfy applicable requirements. Moreover, the length of the extension could be less than we request. If we are unable to obtain patent term extension or the term of any such extension is less than we request, the period during which we can enforce our patent rights for that drug will be shortened and our competitors may obtain approval to market competing products sooner. As a result, our revenue could be materially reduced.

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If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, then we may not be able to build name recognition in our markets of interest and our business may be adversely affected.

Our registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names, to the extent we obtain and use them, may be challenged, infringed, circumvented, declared generic or determined to be infringing on other marks. We may not be able to protect our rights to these trademarks and trade names, which we need to build name recognition among potential partners or customers in our markets of interest. At times, competitors may adopt trade names or trademarks similar to ours, thereby impeding our ability to build brand identity and possibly leading to market confusion. In addition, there could be potential trade name or trademark infringement claims brought by owners of other registered trademarks or trademarks that incorporate variations of our registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names. Over the long term, if we are unable to establish name recognition based on our trademarks and trade names, then we may not be able to compete effectively, and our business may be adversely affected. Our efforts to enforce or protect our proprietary rights related to trademarks, trade secrets, domain names, copyrights or other IP may be ineffective and could result in substantial costs and a diversion of resources and could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.

Risks Related to Government Regulations

Health care reform measures could hinder or prevent the commercial success of SM-88 any other drug product we may develop.

In the United States, there have been, and we expect there will continue to be, a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the healthcare system that could affect our future revenue and profitability and the future revenue and profitability of our potential customers. Federal and state lawmakers regularly propose and, at times, enact legislation that would result in significant changes to the healthcare system, some of which are intended to contain or reduce the costs of medical products and services. For example, the Health Care Reform Law contains a number of provisions, including those governing enrollments in federal healthcare programs, reimbursement changes and fraud and abuse measures, all of which have affected existing government healthcare programs and resulted in the development of new programs. The Health Care Reform Law, among other things:

The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of health care services to contain or reduce costs of health care may, among other things, adversely affect:

Judicial challenges, executive orders and legislative repeal measures relating to the Health Care Reform Law may create regulatory uncertainty with respect to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other life sciences industries and may materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

While the U.S. Supreme Court upheld most of the constitutional elements of the Health Care Reform Law in June 2012, other legal challenges are still pending final adjudication in several jurisdictions.

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On January 20, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies with authorities and responsibilities under the Health Care Reform Law to exercise all available authority and discretion to waive, defer, grant exemption s from or delay the implementation of any provision of the Health Care Reform Law that would impose a fiscal burden on any U.S. state or a cost, fee, tax, penalty or regulatory burden on individuals, families, healthcare providers, health insurers, patient s, recipients of healthcare services, purchasers of health insurance or makers of medical devices, products or medications (the  January 2017 Executive Order”). The January 2017 Executive Order does not describe specific federal rules that it applies to bu t it appears to contemplate discretion for federal agencies to delay or stop the implementation of certain Health Care Reform Law taxes and requirements. As a result, the practical effect of the January 2017 Executive Order is unclear.

On October 12, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to take certain steps intended to make it easier for individuals and small businesses to collectively buy health insurance through association health plans, which are not subject to all of the requirements under the Health Care Reform Law (the “October 2017 Executive Order”). On the same date, he announced that cost-sharing reduction payments from the U.S. government for low-income health insurance enrollees’ copayments and deductibles (the “CSR Payments”) would cease effective immediately. Cessation of the CSR Payments and other changes ordered could have significant adverse impacts, including, but not limited to, insurance premium increases and increased uncertainty in the health insurance markets.

On December 12, 2017, President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law, revoking the tax penalty that applied to individuals who did not comply with the Health Care Reform Law’s requirement to have health insurance coverage (known as the “individual mandate”).

Additionally, on January 22, 2018, President Trump signed a continuing resolution on appropriations for fiscal year 2018 that delayed the implementation of certain Health Care Reform Law -mandated fees, including the tax on certain high cost employer-sponsored insurance plans, the annual fee imposed on certain health insurance providers based on market share, and the medical device excise tax on non-exempt medical devices.

Judicial challenges to the Health Care Reform Act, the January 2017and October 2017 Executive Orders, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, cessation of the CSR Payments and other executive action and legislation, could result in increased uncertainty with respect to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other life science industries and may materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, we can provide no assurance that the Health Care Reform Law, as currently enacted or as amended in the future, or other related laws will not adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Nor can we predict how future federal or state legislative or administrative changes relating to health care reform will affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

If we fail to comply with healthcare and privacy laws and regulations, we could face substantial penalties and our business, operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Certain federal and state healthcare laws and regulations pertaining to fraud and abuse patients’ rights are, and other healthcare issues and will be, applicable to our business. We could be subject to healthcare fraud and abuse, privacy and security, and transparency regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. The regulations that may affect our ability to operate include, but are not limited to:

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The Health Care Reform Law, among other things, amended the intent standard of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and criminal healthcare fraud statutes to a stricter standard such that a person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of a violation of this statute or specific intent to violate it to be convicted. In addition, the Health Care Reform Law codified case law held that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal False Claims Act.

If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including civil, criminal and/or administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement and possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results. Any action against us for violation of these or other laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. Moreover, achieving and sustaining compliance with applicable federal and state privacy, security, fraud and abuse, and transparency laws may prove costly.

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We are subject to anti-corruption laws, as well as export control laws, customs laws, sanctions laws and other laws governing our operations. If we fail to comply with these laws, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties, other remedial measures and legal expenses, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our operations are subject to anti-corruption laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) and other anti-corruption laws that apply in countries where we operate or may do business in the future. The FCPA and these other laws generally prohibit us, our officers and our employees and intermediaries from bribing, being bribed or making other prohibited payments to government officials or other persons to obtain or retain business or gain some other business advantage. We may in the future operate in jurisdictions that pose a high risk of potential FCPA violations, and we may participate in collaborations and relationships with third parties whose actions could potentially subject us to liability under the FCPA or local anti-corruption laws. In addition, we cannot predict the nature, scope or effect of future regulatory requirements to which our international operations might be subject or the manner in which existing laws might be administered or interpreted.

Because our business is heavily regulated, it therefore involves significant interaction with public officials. We have or will have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or government-affiliated hospitals, universities and other organizations. Additionally, in many other countries, the healthcare providers who prescribe pharmaceuticals are employed by their government and the purchasers of pharmaceuticals are government entities; therefore, any dealings with these prescribers and purchasers are subject to regulation under the FCPA.

We are also subject to other laws and regulations, including regulations administered by the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, and authorities in the EU, including applicable export control regulations, economic sanctions on countries and persons, customs requirements and currency exchange regulations, which we collectively refer to as Trade Control Laws.

There is no assurance that we will be completely effective in ensuring our compliance, or the compliance of our employees, agents, suppliers, manufacturers, contractors, or collaborators, with all applicable anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA or other legal requirements, including Trade Control Laws. If we are not in compliance with the FCPA, the Bribery Act and other anti-corruption laws or Trade Control Laws, we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties, disgorgement and other sanctions and remedial measures, and legal expenses. The SEC also may suspend or bar issuers from trading securities on U.S. exchanges for violations of the FCPA’s accounting provisions. Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our reputation in the industry as well as our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

Because we and our suppliers are subject to environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we may become exposed to liability and substantial expenses in connection with environmental compliance or remediation activities, which may adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Our operations, including our discovery, development, testing, research and manufacturing activities, are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These laws and regulations govern, among other things, the controlled use, handling, release and disposal of and the maintenance of a registry for, hazardous materials and biological materials, such as chemical solvents, human cells, carcinogenic compounds, mutagenic compounds and compounds that have a toxic effect on reproduction, laboratory procedures and exposure to blood-borne pathogens. If we fail to comply with such laws and regulations, we could be subject to fines or other sanctions.

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As with other companies engaged in activities similar to ours, we face a risk of environmental liability inh erent in our current and historical activities, including liability relating to release of or exposure to, hazardous or biological materials. Environmental, health and safety laws and regulations are becoming more stringent. We may be required to incur sub stantial expenses in connection with future environmental compliance or remediation activities, in which case, our production and development efforts may be interrupted or delayed and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially adve rsely affected.

The third parties with whom we contract to manufacture SM-88 or any other drug products we may develop are also subject to these and other environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Liabilities they incur pursuant to these laws and regulations could result in significant costs or, in certain circumstances, an interruption in operations, any of which could adversely affect our business and financial condition if we are unable to find an alternate supplier in a timely manner.

Our employees may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements.

We are exposed to the risk of employee fraud or other misconduct. Misconduct by employees could include intentional failures to comply with FDA or EMA regulations, to provide accurate information to the FDA or EMA or intentional failures to report financial information or data accurately or to disclose unauthorized activities to us. Employee misconduct could also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation and subjects. The precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with these laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of significant fines or other sanctions.

If generic manufacturers use litigation and regulatory means to obtain approval for generic versions of products on which our future revenue depends, our business will suffer.

Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the “FDCA”), the FDA can approve an ANDA for a generic version of a branded drug without the ANDA applicant undertaking the clinical testing necessary to obtain approval to market a new drug. In place of such clinical trials, an ANDA applicant usually needs only to submit data demonstrating that its drug has the same active ingredient(s) and is bioequivalent to the branded product, in addition to any data necessary to establish that any difference in strength, dosage form, inactive ingredients or delivery mechanism does not result in different safety or efficacy profiles, as compared to the reference drug.

The FDCA requires that an applicant for approval of a generic form of a branded drug certify either that its generic drug does not infringe any of the patents listed by the owner of the branded drug in the Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations, also known as the Orange Book, or that those patents are not enforceable. This process is known as a Paragraph IV Challenge. Upon receipt of the Paragraph IV notice, the owner has 45 days to bring a patent infringement suit in federal district court against the company seeking ANDA approval of a drug covered by one of the owner’s patents. The discovery, trial and appeals process in such suits can take several years. If this type of suit is commenced, the FDCA provides a 30-month stay on the FDA’s approval of the competitor’s application. This type of litigation is often time-consuming, costly and may result in generic competition if the patents at issue are not upheld or if the generic competitor is found not to infringe upon the owner’s patents. If the litigation is resolved in favor of the ANDA applicant or the challenged patent expires during the 30-month stay period, the stay is lifted and the FDA may thereafter approve the application based on the usual standards for approval of ANDAs.

For various strategic and commercial reasons, manufacturers of generic medications frequently file ANDAs shortly after FDA approval of a branded drug regardless of the perceived strength and validity of the patents associated with such products. Based on these past practices, we believe it is likely that one or more such generic manufacturers will file ANDAs with respect to SM-88, if approved by the FDA, prior to the expiration of the patents related to those compounds.

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The filing of an ANDA as described abov e with respect to any of our products could have an adverse impact on our stock price. Moreover, if any such ANDAs were to be approved and the patents covering the relevant products were not upheld in litigation or if a generic competitor were found not to infringe these patents, the resulting generic competition would negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The marketing of SM-88, if approved, will be limited to use for the treatment of specific cancer indications and, if we want to expand the indications for which these drug candidates may be marketed, additional regulatory approvals will need to be obtained, which may not be granted.

If SM-88 is approved for the first indication that we decide to pursue to an NDA, the FDA will restrict our ability to market or advertise SM-88 for other indications, which could limit physician and patient adoption. We may attempt to develop, promote and commercialize new treatment indications and protocols for additional indications for SM-88, but we cannot predict when or if the approval required to do so will be received. In addition, we would be required to conduct additional clinical trials to support approvals for additional indications for SM-88, which would be time-consuming and expensive and may produce results that do not support regulatory approvals. If we do not obtain additional regulatory approvals, our ability to expand our business will be limited.

If we are found to have promoted such off-label uses prior to FDA approval for the applicable indication(s) (or to have promoted SM-88 for any use prior to initial FDA approval), we may receive warning letters and become subject to significant liability, which would materially harm our business. The federal government has levied large civil and criminal fines against companies for alleged improper promotion and has enjoined several companies from engaging in off-label promotion. If we become the target of such an investigation or prosecution based on our marketing and promotional practices, we could face similar sanctions, which would materially harm our business. In addition, management’s attention could be diverted from our business operations, significant legal expenses could be incurred and our reputation could be damaged. The FDA has also requested that companies enter into consent decrees or permanent injunctions under which specified promotional conduct is changed or curtailed. If we are deemed by the FDA to have engaged in the promotion of our products for off-label use, we could be subject to FDA prohibitions on the sale or marketing of our products or significant fines and penalties and the imposition of these sanctions could also affect our reputation and position within the industry.

Physicians may also misuse our products, potentially leading to adverse results, side effects or injury, which may lead to drug liability claims. If our products are misused, we may become subject to costly litigation by our customers or their patients. Drug liability claims could divert management’s attention from our core business, be expensive to defend and result in sizable damage awards against us that may not be covered by liability insurance. Furthermore, the use of our products for indications other than those approved by the FDA may not effectively treat such conditions, which could harm our reputation in the marketplace among physicians and patients. Any of these events could harm our business and results of operations and cause our stock price to decline.

Additionally, as with an existing number of previously approved therapeutics to treat cancer, the FDA may require us to educate health care providers and patients about the proper use and administration of SM-88 or any other drug products we develop in the future and obtain FDA approval to market.

Being a public company is expensive and administratively burdensome.

As a public reporting company, we are subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and other federal securities laws, rules and regulations related thereto, including compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”). Complying with these laws and regulations requires the time and attention of our Board and management and increases our expenses. Among other things, we must:

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The cost of preparing and filing annual and quarterly reports and Forms 8-K, proxy statements and other information with the SEC and furnishing annual reports containing audited financial statements to stockholders is expensive and much greater than that of a privately-held company. Compliance with these rules and regulations may require us to hire additional financial reporting, internal controls and other finance personnel and will involve significant regulatory, legal and accounting expenses and the attention of management. There can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with the applicable regulations in a timely manner, if at all. In addition, being a public company makes it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance. In the future, we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain this coverage. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified executives and members of our Board, particularly directors willing to serve on our audit committee.

We will continue to incur relatively outsized costs as a result of recently becoming a public company and in the administration of our organizational structure.

As a public company, we will incur significant legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company, including costs associated with public company reporting requirements. We also have incurred and will incur costs associated with SOX and related rules implemented by the SEC. We will continue to incur ongoing periodic expenses in connection with the administration of our organizational structure. The expenses incurred by public companies generally for reporting and corporate governance purposes have been increasing. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time-consuming and costly, although we are currently unable to estimate these costs with any degree of certainty. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our common stock, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation.

Health care reform measures could hinder or prevent the commercial success of SM-88 any other drug product we may develop.

In the United States, there have been and we expect there will continue to be, a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the healthcare system that could affect our future revenue and profitability and the future revenue and profitability of our potential customers. Federal and state lawmakers regularly propose and, at times, enact legislation that would result in significant changes to the healthcare system, some of which are intended to contain or reduce the costs of medical products and services. For example, on December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law new federal tax legislation that includes a provision repealing, effective January 1, 2019, the tax-based shared responsibility payment imposed by the ACA on certain individuals who fail to maintain qualifying health coverage for all or part of a year that is commonly referred to as the “individual mandate.” Since the enactment of the Tax Act, there have been additional amendments to certain provisions of the ACA, and we expect the current Trump administration may continue to seek to modify, repeal, or otherwise invalidate all, or certain provisions of, the ACA. It is uncertain the extent to which any such changes may impact our business or financial condition. 

Additionally, on May 30, 2018, the Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2017 (the “Right to Try Act”), was signed into law. The law, among other things, provides a federal framework for certain patients with life-threatening diseases to access certain investigational new drug products that have completed a Phase I clinical trial and that are undergoing investigation for FDA approval. Under certain circumstances, eligible patients can seek treatment without enrolling in clinical trials and without obtaining FDA permission under the FDA expanded access program. There is no obligation for a drug manufacturer to make its drug products available to eligible patients as a result of the Right to Try Act.

There have been, and likely will continue to be, legislative and regulatory proposals at the foreign, 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

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companies, managed care organizations and other payors of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of healthcare and/or impose price controls m ay adversely affect:

The recently passed comprehensive tax reform bill could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

The recently enacted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Tax Act”) federal income tax law, among other things, contains significant changes to corporate taxation, including reduction of the corporate tax rate from a top marginal rate of 35% to a flat rate of 21%, limitation of the tax deduction for interest expense to 30% of adjusted earnings (except for certain small businesses), limitation of the deduction for net operating losses to 80% of current year taxable income and elimination of net operating loss carrybacks, one time taxation of offshore earnings at reduced rates regardless of whether they are repatriated, elimination of U.S. tax on foreign earnings (subject to certain important exceptions), immediate deductions for certain new investments instead of deductions for depreciation expense over time, and modifying or repealing many business deductions and credits (including reducing the business tax credit for certain clinical testing expenses incurred in the testing of certain drugs for rare diseases or conditions). Notwithstanding the reduction in the corporate income tax rate, the overall impact of the new federal tax law is uncertain and our business and financial condition could be adversely affected. In addition, it is unknown if and to what extent various states will conform to the newly enacted federal tax law. The impact of this tax reform on holders of our common stock is likewise uncertain and could be adverse. We urge our stockholders to consult with their legal and tax advisors with respect to this legislation and the potential tax consequences of investing in or holding our common stock.

Changes in funding for the FDA, the SEC and other government agencies could hinder their ability to hire and retain key leadership and other personnel, prevent new products and services from being developed or commercialized in a timely manner or otherwise prevent those agencies from performing normal functions on which the operation of our business may rely, which could negatively impact our business.

The ability of the FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept payment of user fees, and statutory, regulatory, and policy changes. Average review times at the agency have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding of the SEC and other government agencies on which our operations may rely, including those that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable.

Disruptions at the FDA and other agencies may also slow the time necessary for new drugs to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which would adversely affect our business. For example, over the last several years, including most recently beginning on December 22, 2018, the U.S. government has shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, such as the FDA and the SEC, have had to furlough critical government employees and stop critical activities. If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, it could significantly impact the ability of the FDA to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, future government shutdowns could impact our ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to properly capitalize and continue our operations.