DRMA Dermata Therapeutics Inc

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2023

For the Transition Period from ___________ to ___________

Commission File Number: 001-40739

3525 Del Mar Heights Rd., #322, San Diego, CA 92130

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 858-800-2543

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ☒ Yes ☐ No.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☒

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

There were 3,189,034 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 of Dermata Therapeutics, Inc. issued and outstanding as of November 9, 2023.

DERMATA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

Form 10-Q

Table of Contents

INDEX

Part I

Item 1: Financial Statements

DERMATA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

Balance Sheets

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

DERMATA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

Statements of Operations

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

DERMATA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

Statements of Stockholder’s Equity

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

DERMATA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

Statements of Stockholder’s Equity

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

DERMATA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

Statements of Cash Flows

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

DERMATA THERAPEUTICS, INC.

Notes to Financial Statements

(unaudited)

ITEM 2: MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our financial statements and the related notes and the other financial information included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed below and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, particularly those under “Risk Factors.”

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 under Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include statements with respect to our beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, anticipations, assumptions, estimates, intentions, and future performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which may be beyond our control, and which may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements through our use of words such as “may,” “can,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “should,” “indicate,” “would,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “expect,” “seek,” “estimate,” “continue,” “plan,” “point to,” “project,” “predict,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “potential” and other similar words and expressions of the future.

There are a number of important factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement made by us. These factors include, but are not limited to:

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

All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report, or the date of the document incorporated by reference into this report. We have no obligation, and expressly disclaim any obligation, to update, revise or correct any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. We have expressed our expectations, beliefs and projections in good faith, and we believe they have a reasonable basis. However, we cannot assure you that our expectations, beliefs, or projections will result or be achieved or accomplished.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage medical dermatology company focused on identifying, developing, and commercializing innovative pharmaceutical product candidates for the treatment of medical and aesthetic skin conditions and diseases we believe represent significant market opportunities.

Dermatological diseases such as acne vulgaris (or acne), psoriasis vulgaris (or psoriasis), hyperhidrosis, and various aesthetic indications, affect millions of people worldwide each year which may negatively impact their quality of life and emotional well-being. While there are multiple current treatment options for these indications on the market, we believe that most have significant drawbacks, including underwhelming efficacy, cumbersome application regimens and varying negative side effects, all of which we believe lead to decreased patient compliance. A majority of these indications are first treated with topical therapy; however, many patients frequently switch treatments or discontinue treatment altogether due to patient dissatisfaction. This is primarily due to slow and modest response rates, early onset of negative side effects, daily application schedules and long duration of therapy. Given the limitations with current topical therapies, we believe there is a significant opportunity to address the needs of frustrated patients searching for topical products that satisfy their dermatological and lifestyle needs.

Our two product candidates, DMT310 and DMT410, both incorporate our proprietary, multifaceted, Spongilla technology to topically treat a variety of dermatological conditions. Our Spongilla technology is derived from a naturally grown freshwater sponge, Spongilla lacustris or Spongilla, which is processed into a powder that is mixed with a fluidizing agent immediately prior to application to form an easily applicable paste. Spongilla is a unique freshwater sponge that only grows in commercial quantities in select regions of the world and under specific environmental conditions, all of which give it its distinctive anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and mechanical properties. The combination of these environmental conditions, the proprietary harvesting protocols developed with our exclusive supplier, and our post-harvest processing procedures produce a pharmaceutical product candidate that optimizes the mechanical components as well as the chemical components of the sponge to create a product candidate with multiple mechanisms of action for the treatment of medical and aesthetic skin diseases and conditions. 

We believe our Spongilla technology platform will enable us to develop and formulate singular and combination products that are able to target the topical delivery of chemical compounds into the dermis for a variety of dermatology indications. We believe the combination of Spongilla’s mechanical and chemical components (which we believe have demonstrated, in-vitro, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties), add to the versatility of our Spongilla technology platform’s effectiveness as a singular product, in the treatment of a wide variety of medical skin diseases like acne and psoriasis. We also believe the mechanical properties of our Spongilla technology allows for the intradermal delivery of a variety of large molecules, like botulinum toxins, monoclonal antibodies, or dermal fillers, to target treatment sites, through topical application without the need for needles.

Our lead product candidate, DMT310, is intended to utilize our Spongilla technology for once weekly treatment of a variety of skin diseases, with our initial focus being the treatment of acne vulgaris, which has a U.S. market size of approximately 50 million patients. We have shown DMT310’s ability to treat the multiple causes of acne in a Phase 2b study where we initially saw a 45% reduction in inflammatory lesions after four treatments, with statistically significant improvements at all time points for all three primary endpoints throughout the study (reduction in inflammatory lesions, reduction in non-inflammatory lesions, and improvement in Investigator Global Assessment). Based on this Phase 2b data we submitted an end of phase 2 meeting package to the FDA to agree on clinical development requirements for the Phase 3 acne program. We received feedback from the FDA in the end of June 2023 and based on FDA recommendations we have amended the Phase 3 protocols to include the FDA’s recommended additions. In July 2023, we submitted the amended protocols to the FDA and we plan to initiate a Phase 3 program in the second half of 2023, assuming the receipt of final approval from the FDA. In addition, based on the multiple mechanisms of action and anti-inflammatory effect seen with DMT310 acne trial, we have conducted a Phase 1b proof of concept, or POC, trial in psoriasis where we saw encouraging results warranting further investigation.

DMT310 consists of two grams of powder processed from the naturally grown freshwater sponge, Spongilla lacustris. The patient mixes the powder with a fluidizing agent (3% hydrogen peroxide) immediately prior to application by the patient to form an easy-to-apply paste. The paste is applied like a mud mask and is left on the skin for approximately ten to fifteen minutes, after which time it is washed off with water. Due to the unique combination of DMT310’s mechanical components and chemical components, and based on our Phase 2 acne data, we believe patients will only need to apply DMT310 once weekly to produce the desired treatment effect. The mechanical components of the Spongilla powder consist of many microscopic siliceous, needle-like spicules that, when massaged into the skin, penetrate the stratum corneum (the skin’s outermost protective layer) and create microchannels into the dermis where pro-inflammatory cytokines and bacteria reside. We believe that the penetration of the spicules also leads to the opening of microchannels, which allow oxygen to enter pilosebaceous glands, helping to kill C. acnes, which grow in an anaerobic (without oxygen) environment (C. acnes is the bacteria that cause inflammatory lesions in acne patients). The spicules also cause rejuvenation of the top layer of dead skin, thereby increasing collagen production. Additionally, we believe the newly created microchannels provide a conduit for DMT310’s naturally occurring chemical compounds to be delivered to the dermis and pilosebaceous glands, helping to kill the C. acnes and fight inflammation. In addition to these anti-microbial compounds, DMT310 also appears to have anti-inflammatory chemical compounds, as demonstrated in in vitro experiments, that inhibit inflammation through the reduction of C.acnes stimulated IL-8 production and by inhibiting IL-17A and IL-17F expression in human cell lines. Also, during in vitro studies of DMT310’s organic compounds, we observed the inhibition of the lipogenesis of sebocytes, which may translate to a reduction in sebum (an oily and waxy substance produced by the human body’s sebaceous glands) production and the oiliness of the skin in patients, which was observed by a number of clinical investigators in our Phase 2 acne studies. We believe the combination of these biological and mechanical effects could be important factors in treating multiple inflammatory skin diseases, as seen in our clinical trials.

Our second product candidate utilizing our Spongilla technology is DMT410, our combination treatment. DMT410 is intended to consist of one treatment of our proprietary sponge powder followed by one topical application of botulinum toxin for delivery into the dermis. Currently, botulinum toxin is only approved to be delivered to the dermis by intradermal injections, which can be painful for the patient and time-consuming for the physician. However, we believe DMT410’s ability to topically deliver botulinum toxin into the dermis could have similar levels of efficacy to existing delivery techniques, with fewer tolerability issues, and a quicker application time, possibly replacing the need for intradermal injections. We first tested DMT410 in a Phase 1 POC trial of axillary hyperhidrosis patients, which saw 80% of patients achieve a reduction in gravimetric sweat production greater than 50% four weeks after a single treatment. With almost 40% of the hyperhidrosis market currently being treated with intradermal injections of botulinum toxin, we believe there could be significant opportunity for DMT410 to break into this market and replace intradermal injections of botulinum toxin. Based on DMT410’s ability to effectively deliver botulinum toxin to the dermis as observed in the Phase 1 axillary hyperhidrosis trial, we also conducted a Phase 1 POC trial of DMT410 for the treatment of multiple aesthetic skin conditions, including reduction of pore size, sebum production, and fine lines, among others. In November 2021, we announced top-line results from this trial, where we saw promising data that we believe warrants further investigation of DMT410. We are currently in the process of discussing partnering opportunities with botulinum toxin companies to move the DMT410 program into Phase 2 studies.

We have a limited operating history. Since our inception, our operations have focused on developing DMT310 and DMT410, organizing and staffing our company, raising capital, establishing our supply chain and manufacturing processes, further characterizing the multiple mechanisms of action of our Spongilla technology, building an intellectual property portfolio, and conducting non-clinical and clinical trials. We do not have any product candidates approved for marketing and have not generated any revenue from product sales. We have funded our operations primarily through the sale of our equity securities and debt securities. Since inception, we have raised an aggregate of approximately $58.7 million of gross proceeds from the sale of our debt and equity securities.

We have not generated any revenue to date and have incurred significant operating losses. Our net losses were $1.7 million and $2.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively, and as of September 30, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $51.3 million. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future. We anticipate that our expenses will increase significantly in connection with our ongoing activities, as we:

We will need additional financing to support our operations. We may seek to fund our operations through public or private equity or debt financings or other sources. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. Our failure to raise capital when needed or on favorable terms would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy. We will need to generate significant revenues to achieve profitability, and we may never do so.

Recent Developments

Equity Offerings

On March 20, 2023, we closed a public offering (the “March 2023 Offering”) of (i) 85,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“Common Stock”), (ii) pre-funded warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,533,123 shares of Common Stock with an exercise price of  $0.0001 per share, (iii) Series A warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,618,123 shares of Common Stock, and (iv) Series B warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,618,123 shares of Common Stock. Both the Series A and Series B warrants have an exercise price of $2.82 per share. The net proceeds of the March 2023 Offering, after deducting the placement agent’s fees and expenses and other offering expenses payable by the Company was approximately $4.2 million. In connection with the March 2023 Offering, we also issued warrants to purchase an aggregate of 113,269 shares of Common Stock to certain affiliated designees of the placement agent as part of the placement agent’s compensation. The placement agent warrants are exercisable at an exercise price of $3.8625 per share, and will expire on the five year anniversary of the date of issuance.

On May 26, 2023, we closed a private placement (the “2023 PIPE”), priced at the market under Nasdaq rules, in which we sold 458,555 shares of its Common Stock together with 342,322 pre-funded warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 342,322 shares of Common Stock with an exercise price of $0.0001 per share, (the “May 2023 Pre-Funded Warrants”). We received net proceeds of approximately $1.5 million, after deducting fees to the placement agent and other offering expenses. The Common Stock purchase warrants were immediately exercisable at an exercise price of $2.16 per share and will expire five and one-half years from the date of issuance.  The pre-funded warrants were immediately exercisable at an exercise price of $0.0001 per share and do not expire. In connection with the offering, we also issued warrants to purchase an aggregate of 56,061 shares of Common Stock to certain affiliated designees of the placement agent as part of the placement agent’s compensation. The placement agent warrants are exercisable at an exercise price of $2.8563 per share and will expire on the five-year anniversary of the date of issuance. The net proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, which includes, without limitation, ongoing research and pre-clinical studies, clinical trials, and the development of new biological and pharmaceutical technologies.

Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates

We have based our management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements as well as expenses during the reporting periods. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to clinical development expenses, stock-based compensation expense, and the fair value of equity instruments which result in deemed dividends. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other factors that we believe to be appropriate under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

While our significant accounting policies are more fully discussed in Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our unaudited financial statements contained within this Form 10-Q, we believe that the following accounting policies are critical to the process of making significant judgments and estimates in the preparation of our financial statements.

Research and Development Expenses

We rely on third parties to conduct our clinical studies and to provide services, including data management, statistical analysis, and electronic compilation. Once our clinical trials begin, at the end of each reporting period, we will compare the payments made to each service provider to the estimated progress towards completion of the related project. Factors that we will consider in preparing these estimates include the number of patients enrolled in studies, milestones achieved, and other criteria related to the efforts of our vendors. These estimates will be subject to change as additional information becomes available. Depending on the timing of payments to vendors and estimated services provided, we will record net prepaid or accrued expenses related to these costs.

Fair Value of Common Stock and Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized as expense over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. The Company’s policy permits the valuation of stock-based awards granted to non-employees to be measured at fair value at the grant date.

Determining the appropriate fair value of share-based awards requires the use of subjective assumptions, including the fair value of our common shares for awards prior to 2021, and for options, the expected life of the option and expected share price volatility. We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value our option awards. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of share-based awards represent our best estimates and involve inherent uncertainties and the application of judgment. As a result, if factors change and management uses different assumptions, share-based compensation expense could be materially different for future awards.

Fluctuations in Operating Results

Our results of operations have fluctuated significantly from period to period in the past and are likely to continue to do so in the future. We anticipate that our quarterly and annual results of operations will be impacted for the foreseeable future by several factors, including the progress and timing of expenditures related to the development of our product candidates. Due to these fluctuations, we believe that the period-to-period comparisons of our operating results are not a good indication of our future performance.

Results of Operations

Three Months Ended September 30, 2023, and 2022

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the periods presented:

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses decreased by $0.7 million from $1.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022, to $0.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The decrease in research and development expenses from the third quarter of 2023 as compared the same period in 2022 resulted from $0.5 million of decreased clinical expenses from the DMT310 rosacea study completed in late 2022 and $0.3 million of decreased non-clinical expenses, offset by $0.1 million of increased chemistry, manufacturing, and controls, or CMC, expenses in preparation for the DMT310 Phase 3 program.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses were $0.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively.

Other Income and Expenses             

Other income and expenses increased by $71,281 from the three months ended September 30, 2023, as result of interest income earned from cash sweep accounts that were opened during the third quarter of 2022.

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023, and 2022

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the periods presented:

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses decreased by approximately $1.9 million from $4.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, to $2.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The decrease in research and development expenses resulted from a $2.0 million decrease in clinical expenses and a $0.3 million decrease in non-clinical expenses, offset by $0.4 million of increased CMC expenses in preparation for the DMT310 Phase 3 program.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses decreased by $0.3 million from $3.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, to $2.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. This decrease resulted from decreased insurance costs of $0.2 million, as well as decreased stock-based compensation expense of $0.3 million, offset by an increase in public company expenses of $0.2 million primarily related to professional services.

Other Income and Expenses

Other income and expenses increased by $139,871 from the nine months ended September 30, 2023, as result of interest income earned from cash sweep accounts, which were opened during the third quarter of 2022.

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows from operating and financing activities:

Operating activities

Cash used in operations of $5.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, was the result of the net loss of $5.7 million, offset by non-cash stock-based compensation of $0.4 million.

Cash used in operations of $7.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, was the result of the net loss of $7.9 million and an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $0.1 million, offset by non-cash stock-based compensation of $0.7 million and an increase in accrued and other current liabilities of $0.3 million.

Financing activities

Cash provided by financing activities of $5.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, was the result of $4.2 million of net proceeds received from the issuance of Common Stock and warrants issued in the March 2023 Offering, as well as $1.5 million of net proceeds received from the May 2023 Offering.

Cash provided by financing activities of $4.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, was the result of the net proceeds received from the issuance of Common Stock and warrants issued in April 2022 from a private placement of the Company’s securities.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Since our inception, we have not generated any revenue or commercialized any products. As of September 30, 2023, our cash and cash equivalents totaled $6.6 million, and we had an accumulated deficit of $51.3 million. For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, and the year ended December 31, 2022, we used cash of $5.3 million and $8.8 million, respectively, in operations. As a result of the sales of our Common Stock and warrants to purchase Common Stock in the March 2023 Offering and the May 2023 Offering for net proceeds of $4.2 million and $1.5 million, respectively, our cash balances are expected to fund operations into the second quarter of 2024. We anticipate that we will continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future.

Historically, our principal sources of cash have included proceeds from the issuance of common and preferred equity and proceeds from the issuance of debt. Our principal uses of cash have included cash used in operations (including clinical development of our product candidates and general and administrative expenses) and payments for license rights. We expect that the principal uses of cash in the future will be for continuing operations, funding of research and development, and general working capital requirements. We expect that as research and development expenses continue to grow, we will need to raise additional capital to sustain operations and research and development activities.

Funding Requirements

We plan to focus in the near term on the development, regulatory approval, and potential commercialization of DMT310 for the treatment of acne. We anticipate we will incur net losses for the next several years as we complete clinical development of DMT310 for the treatment of acne and psoriasis and continue research and development of DMT410 for the treatment of aesthetic and medical skin conditions. In addition, we plan to seek opportunities to identify, acquire or in license and develop additional drug candidates, potentially build commercial capabilities, and expand our corporate infrastructure. We may not be able to complete the development and initiate commercialization of these programs if, among other things, our clinical trials are not successful or if the FDA does not approve our drug candidate arising out of our current clinical trials when we expect, or at all.

Our primary uses of capital are, and we expect will continue to be, compensation and related expenses, clinical costs, external research and development services, legal and other regulatory expenses, and administrative and overhead costs. Our future funding requirements will be heavily determined by the resources needed to support the development of our drug candidates.

As a publicly traded company, we will incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses that we were not required to incur as a private company. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and Nasdaq, requires public companies to implement specified corporate governance practices that were not applicable to us as a private company. We expect these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly.

We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, along with the proceeds from the private placement in May 2023, will be sufficient to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the second quarter of 2024. We have based this estimate of cash runway on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we expect. We anticipate that we will continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for the one-year period following the date that these financial statements were issued. We will require additional capital to conduct Phase 3 studies for DMT310 for the treatment of acne, continue development of DMT310, and to pursue in licenses or acquisitions of other drug candidates. Therefore, based on our recurring losses from operations incurred since inception, expectation of continuing operating losses for the foreseeable future, and the need to raise additional capital to finance future operations, we are developing plans to mitigate this risk, which may consist of raising additional capital through some combination of equity or debt financings, and/or potentially new collaborations, business transactions, and reducing cash expenditures. If we are not able to secure adequate additional funding, we may be forced to make significant reductions in our operations and the pursuit of our growth strategy. In that event, we may have to delay, scale back, or eliminate some or all of our research and development programs and activities which could adversely affect our business prospects, or we may be unable to continue operations.