MLCT Malachite Innovations Inc (PK)

Item 1A. Risk Factors

The following risk factors should be considered carefully in addition to the other information contained in this Annual Report. This Annual Report contains forward-looking statements. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and stock price could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks.

Risks Related to Our Business

We have a history of operating losses and expect to continue to incur losses. We may never become profitable. The Company’s independent registered public accounting firm has issued a report questioning our ability to continue as a going concern.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company incurred a net loss of $1,072,176 and used $603,778 of cash in our operating activities. We have incurred losses since inception, resulting in an accumulated deficit of $50,212,854 as of December 31, 2022. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for the next twelve months from the date that the financial statements which are a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K are issued. In addition, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, in their report on the Company’s December 31, 2021 audited financial statements, raised substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. We expect to incur further losses as we continue to develop our business. We have not yet received significant revenues from sales of products or services and have recurring losses from operations.

We expect to incur substantial losses for the near future, and we may never achieve or maintain profitability. Even if we succeed in obtaining regulatory approval to market our glycosylated cannabinoid prodrugs, we may still incur losses for the foreseeable future. We also expect to experience negative cash flow for the near future, as we plan to use all available resources to fund our operations and if we proceed with an expansion of our corporate strategy as discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report, to make significant capital expenditures. As a result, we would need to generate significant revenues if we are to achieve and maintain profitability. We may not be able to generate these revenues or achieve profitability. Our failure to achieve or maintain profitability could negatively impact the value of our common stock and you could lose some or all of your investment.

We will need to raise substantial additional capital to operate our business. If we cannot obtain the capital we need to continue our operations, our business could fail.

We will need to raise additional funds in order to continue operating our business beyond the near term. Since inception, we have primarily funded our operations through equity and debt financings. If we do issue equity or convertible debt securities to raise additional funds or to fund, in whole or in part, acquisitions in furtherance of our business strategy, our existing stockholders may experience substantial dilution, and the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of our existing stockholders. If we incur additional debt, it would increase our leverage relative to our earnings, if any, or to our equity capitalization, requiring us to pay additional interest expense. Obtaining commercial loans, assuming those loans would be available, would increase our liabilities and future cash commitments. If we pursue capital through alternative sources, such as collaborations or other similar arrangements, we may be forced to relinquish rights to our proprietary glycosylated cannabinoid compounds, technology or other intellectual property or marketing rights, which could result in our receipt of only a portion of any revenue that may be generated from a partnered product or business. We also may raise funds by selling some or all of our assets. Regardless of the manner in which we seek to raise capital, we may incur substantial costs in those pursuits, including investment banking fees, legal fees, accounting fees, printing and distribution expenses and other related costs.

For the 12 months following December 31, 2022, we expect our total operating losses to be approximately $1,200,000 (not including any capital expenditures). However, our estimate of total operating losses could increase if we encounter unanticipated difficulties. In addition, our estimates of the amount of cash necessary to fund our business may prove to be wrong and we could spend our available financial resources much faster than we currently expect. Further, our operational expenses may increase substantially during our current fiscal year if we pursue an expansion of our current operational goals and research and development activities. If we cannot raise the money that we need in order to continue to develop our business, we will be forced to delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of our proposed operations and/or forego other attractive business opportunities that may arise. If any of these were to occur, there is a substantial risk that our business would fail. Sources of additional funds may not be available on acceptable terms or at all. In addition, weak economic and capital market conditions could result in increased difficulties in raising capital for our operations. We may not be able to raise money through the sale of our equity securities or through borrowing funds on terms we find acceptable, or at all. If we cannot raise the funds that we need, we will be unable to continue our operations, and our stockholders could lose their entire investment in the Company.

Our limited operating experience could make our operations inefficient or ineffective.

We have only a limited operating history upon which to base an evaluation of our current business and future prospects and how we will respond to competitive, financial or technological challenges. In order to conserve our cash resources, we have significantly scaled back our glycosylated cannabinoid product research and development efforts until additional capital is raised to advance our drug development program. In addition, because of our limited operating history, we have limited insight into trends that may emerge and affect our businesses, and limited experience responding to such trends. We may make errors in predicting and reacting to relevant business trends and we will be subject to the risks, uncertainties and difficulties frequently encountered by early-stage companies in evolving markets. We may not be able to successfully address any or all of these risks and uncertainties. Failure to adequately do so could cause our business, results of operations and financial condition to suffer or fail.

The coronavirus pandemic is adversely affecting and will continue to adversely affect our current business.

Since inception, the Company has funded its operations primarily through equity and debt financings. In the event that the coronavirus pandemic has an adverse financial effect on our potential sources of financing, our operations would be negatively affected. The coronavirus pandemic may also make it more difficult for us to pursue capital through alternative sources, such as pharmaceutical drug collaborations or other similar arrangements, since potential strategic partners may be either suffering financially or operationally as a result of the coronavirus pandemic or are focused on the development of treatment therapies or vaccines for the coronavirus. The duration and breadth of the coronavirus pandemic is uncertain and the ultimate impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

We may not be able to manage our expansion of operations effectively.

Assuming we are able to attract additional capital, we intend to expand our operations. To manage this growth, we may need to expand our facilities, augment our operational, financial and management systems and hire and train qualified personnel. Our management will also be required to develop new relationships with customers, suppliers and other third parties. Our current and planned operations, personnel, systems, and internal procedures and controls may not be adequate to support our future growth. If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, we may not be able to take advantage of market opportunities, execute our business strategies or respond to competitive pressures.

If we are unable to hire and retain qualified personnel, we may not be able to implement our business plan.

As of March 30, 2023, we employed 40 full-time employees. Attracting and retaining personnel will be critical to our success. We may not be able to attract and retain the qualified personnel necessary for the development of our business. In addition, we may have difficulty recruiting necessary personnel as a result of our limited operating history. The loss of key personnel or the failure to recruit necessary additional personnel could impede the achievement of our business objectives.

Certain of our employees, officers, directors and consultants may from time to time serve as employees, officers, directors and consultants of other companies. In fact, our current CEO, Michael Cavanaugh, currently serves as Chief Investment Officer of Tower 1 Partnership, LLC, an investment firm focused on private and public investments in a variety of industries, and as manager of several affiliated investment partnerships, pursuant to which he devotes a significant portion of his time. The commitments of our employees, officers, directors and consultants to these other companies may cause them to devote less time to the Company than would otherwise be the case.

In addition, we expect to rely on independent organizations, advisors and consultants to provide certain services. The services of these independent organizations, advisors and consultants may not be available to us on a timely basis when needed or on acceptable terms, and if they are not available, we may not be able to find qualified replacements. If we are unable to retain the services of qualified personnel, independent organizations, advisors and consultants, we may not be able to implement our business plan.

Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early-stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.

Risks Related to Our Environmental-Related Businesses

We may have difficulty accomplishing our growth strategy within and outside of our current service areas.

Our ability to expand our business, both within our current service areas and into new areas, involves significant risks, including, but not limited to:

Operating costs, construction costs and costs of providing services may rise faster than revenue.

Our ability to increase the rates at which we provide our land reclamation, water treatment and related environmental services may be limited by a variety of factors. However, our costs are subject to market conditions and other factors, and may increase significantly. The second largest component of our equipment operating costs is made up of salaries and wages. These costs are affected by the local supply and demand for qualified labor. Other large components of our costs are general insurance, workers compensation insurance, employee benefits and health insurance costs. These costs may increase disproportionately to our service rate increases and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our suppliers may fail to deliver materials and parts according to schedules, prices, quality and volumes that are acceptable to us, or we may be unable to manage these materials and parts effectively.

The equipment we use in our land reclamation and water treatment and reclamation business contains materials and parts purchased globally from many suppliers which exposes us to potential component shortages or delays. Unexpected changes in business conditions, materials pricing, labor issues, wars such as the current conflict in Ukraine, trade policies, natural disasters, health epidemics such as the global COVID-19 pandemic, trade and shipping disruptions, port congestions and other factors beyond our or our suppliers’ control could also affect these suppliers’ ability to deliver components to us or to remain solvent and operational. Additionally, if our suppliers do not accurately forecast and effectively allocate production or if they are not willing to allocate sufficient production to us, it may reduce our access to components and require us to search for new suppliers. The unavailability of any component or supplier could result in delays in providing our services and products. Our suppliers may not be willing or able to sustainably meet our timelines or our cost, quality and volume needs, or to do so may cost us more, which may require us to replace them with other sources. While we believe that we will be able to secure additional or alternate sources for most of our necessary components or products, there is no assurance that we will be able to do so quickly or at all.

Our financial results depend on successful project execution and may be adversely affected by cost overruns, failure to meet customer schedules or other execution issues.

A portion of our revenue is derived from projects that are technically complex and that may last over many months. These projects are subject to a number of significant risks, including project delays, cost overruns, changes in scope, unanticipated site conditions, design and engineering issues, incorrect cost assumptions, increases in the cost of materials and labor, safety hazards, third party performance issues, weather issues and changes in laws or permitting requirements. If we are unable to manage these risks, we may incur higher costs, liquidated damages and other liabilities to our customers, which may decrease our profitability and harm our reputation. Our continued growth will depend in part on executing a higher volume of large projects, which will require us to expand and retain our project management and execution personnel and resources.

We face competition in our industry, and we may be unable to attract customers and maintain a viable business.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully compete with our competitors. Our competitors may prove more successful in offering similar services which prove to be more popular with potential customers than our services. Our ability to grow and achieve profitability will depend on our ability to satisfy our customers and withstand increasing competition by providing superior environmental services at reasonable cost. There can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve or maintain a successful competitive position.

If we become subject to environmental-related claims, we could incur significant cost and time to comply.

Our land reclamation and water treatment business activities create a risk of significant environmental liabilities and reputational damage. Under applicable environmental laws and regulations, we could be strictly, jointly and severally liable for releases of regulated substances by us at the properties of others, including if such releases result in contamination of air or water or cause harm to individuals. Our business activities also create a risk of contamination or injury to our employees, customers or third parties, from the use, treatment, storage, transfer, handling and/or disposal of these materials.

In the event that our business activities result in environmental liabilities, such as those described above, we could incur significant costs or reputational damage in connection with the investigation and remediation of environmental contamination, and we could be liable for any resulting damages including natural resource damages. Such liabilities could exceed our available cash or any applicable insurance coverage we may have. Additionally, we are subject to, on an ongoing basis, federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, storage, handling and disposal of these materials and specified waste products. The cost of compliance with these laws and regulations may become significant and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects.

Further, we may incur costs to defend our position even if we are not liable for consequences arising out of environmental damage. Our insurance policies may not be sufficient to cover the costs of such claims.

Failure to effectively treat emerging contaminants could result in material liabilities.

A number of emerging contaminants might be found in water that we treat that may cause a number of illnesses. In applications where treated water enters the human body, illness and death may result if contaminants or pathogens are not eliminated during the treatment process. The potential impact of a contamination of water treated using our products, services or solutions is difficult to predict and could lead to an increased risk of exposure to product liability claims, increased scrutiny by federal and state regulatory agencies and negative publicity. Further, an outbreak of disease in any one of the markets we serve could result in a widespread loss of customers across such markets.

We may incur liabilities to customers as a result of failure to meet performance guarantees, which could reduce our profitability.

Our customers may seek performance guarantees as to our equipment and services. Failure to meet specifications of our customers or our failure to meet our performance guarantees may increase costs by requiring additional resources and services, monetary reimbursement to a customer or could otherwise result in liability to our customers. To the extent that we incur substantial performance guarantee claims in any period, our reputation, earnings and ability to obtain future business could be materially adversely affected.

Developments in, and compliance with, current and future environmental and climate change laws and regulations could impact our land reclamation and water treatment business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our business, operations, and product and service offerings are subject to and affected by many federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations, including those enacted in response to climate change concerns. Compliance with existing laws and regulations currently requires, and compliance with future laws is expected to continue to require, increasing operating and capital expenditures in order to conform to changing environmental standards and regulations, which could impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, environmental laws and regulations may authorize substantial fines and criminal sanctions to address violations, and may require the installation of costly pollution control equipment or operational changes to limit emissions or discharges. We also incur, and expect to continue to incur, costs to comply with current environmental laws and regulations. At the same time, the demand for our land reclamation and water treatment services also is driven by federal and state laws, regulations and programs which create incentives for our services. Developments such as the adoption of new environmental laws and regulations, stricter enforcement of existing laws and regulations, violations by us of such laws and regulations, discovery of previously unknown or more extensive contamination, litigation involving environmental impacts, our inability to recover costs associated with any such developments, or financial insolvency of other responsible parties could in the future have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our insurance may not provide adequate coverage.

Although we maintain general and product liability, property and commercial insurance coverage, which we consider prudent, there can be no assurance that such insurance will prove adequate in the event of actual casualty losses or broader calamities such as earthquakes, financial crises, economic depressions or other catastrophic events, which are either uninsurable or not economically insurable. Any such losses could have a material adverse effect on the performance of our systems.

Our land reclamation and water treatment business is subject to various statutory and regulatory requirements, which may increase in the future.

Our land reclamation and water treatment business is subject to various statutory and regulatory requirements. Our ability to continue to hold licenses and permits required for our land reclamation and water treatment business is subject to maintaining satisfactory compliance with such requirements. We may incur significant costs to maintain compliance. Our ability to obtain modifications to our permits may be met with resistance, substantial statutory or regulatory requirements or may be too costly to achieve. These requirements may cause us to postpone or cancel our plans. Future statutory and regulatory requirements, including any legislation focused on combating climate change, may require significant cost to comply or may require changes to our products or services.

The environmental regulations to which we are subject may increase our costs and potential liabilities and limit our ability to operate.

Our land reclamation and water treatment business is subject to various federal, state, and local environmental requirements, including those relating to emissions to air, discharged wastewater, storage, treatment, transport and disposal of regulated materials and cleanup of coal mining and groundwater contamination. Efforts to conduct our operations in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including environmental rules and regulations, require programs to promote compliance, such as training employees and customers, purchasing health and safety equipment and in some cases hiring outside consultants and lawyers. Even with these programs, we face the risk of being subject to government enforcement proceedings, which can result in fines or other sanctions and require expenditures for remedial work on contaminated sites. The landscape of environmental regulation to which we are subject can change. Changes to environmental regulation often present new business opportunities for us; however, such changes may also result in increased operating and compliance costs. While we seek to monitor the landscape of environmental regulation, our ability to navigate is limited by our small size and resources, and any changes to such regulations may result in a material effect on our operations, cash flows or financial condition.

Regulators also have the power to suspend or revoke permits or licenses needed for operation of our equipment and vehicles based on, among other factors, our compliance record, and customers may decide not to do business with us because of concerns about our compliance record. Suspension or revocation of permits or licenses would impact our land reclamation and water treatment business and could have a material impact on our financial results. Although we have never had any of our operating permits revoked, suspended or non-renewed involuntarily, it is possible that such an event could occur in the future.

Some environmental laws and regulations impose liability and responsibility on present and former owners, operators or users of facilities and sites for contamination at such facilities and sites without regard to causation or knowledge of contamination. Investigations undertaken in connection with these activities may lead to discoveries of contamination that must be remediated, and closures of facilities might trigger compliance requirements that are not applicable to operating facilities.

Within the coal mining remediation market, demand for our services will be limited to a specific customer base and highly correlated to the coal mining industry. The coal mining industry’s demand for our services and products is affected by a number of factors including the volatile nature of the coal mining industry’s business, increased use of alternative types of energy and technological developments in the coal mining extraction process. A significant reduction in the target market’s demand for coal mining would reduce the demand for our services and products, which would have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We require a variety of permits to operate our business. If we are not successful in obtaining and/or maintaining those permits it will adversely impact our operations.

Our land reclamation and water treatment business requires permits to operate. Our inability to obtain permits in a timely manner could result in substantial delays to our business. The issuance of permits is dependent on the applicable government agencies and is beyond our control and that of our customers. There can be no assurance that we and/or our customers will receive the permits necessary to operate, which could substantially and adversely affect our operations and financial condition.

Based on the nature of our business we currently depend and are likely to continue to depend on a limited number of customers for a significant portion of our revenues.

We currently have three customers in West Virginia that account for substantially all of our land reclamation and water treatment business. The failure to obtain additional customers or the loss of all or a portion of the revenues attributable to any current or future customer as a result of competition, creditworthiness, inability to negotiate extensions or replacement of contracts or otherwise could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

If our customers do not enter into, extend or honor their contracts with us, our profitability could be adversely affected. Our ability to receive payment for production depends on the continued solvency and creditworthiness of our customers and prospective customers. If any of our customers’ creditworthiness suffers, we may bear an increased risk with respect to payment defaults. If customers refuse to make payments for which they have a contractual obligation, our revenues could be adversely affected.

Risks Related to Our Cannabinoid Drug Development Business

If we are unable to market and distribute our products effectively, we may be unable to generate significant revenue.

We currently have no sales, marketing or distribution capabilities with respect to our cannabinoid drug development business. We may decide to build sales, marketing or distribution capabilities internally or pursue collaborative arrangements for the sales and marketing of our products, including steps necessary to commercialize our pharmaceutical products. Any such collaborative arrangements may not provide us with the sales and marketing benefits we expect. To the extent that we decide not to, or are unable to, enter into successful collaborative arrangements with respect to the sales and marketing of our cannabinoid products, significant capital expenditures, management resources and time will be required to establish and develop an in-house marketing and sales force with appropriate expertise. We may be unable to establish or maintain relationships with third party collaborators or develop in-house sales and distribution capabilities. To the extent that we depend on third parties for marketing and distribution, any revenues we receive will depend upon the efforts of such third parties and there can be no assurance that such third parties will establish adequate sales and distribution capabilities or be successful in gaining market acceptance of any approved product. If we are not successful in commercializing any product approved in the future, either on our own or through third parties, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

We may seek orphan drug status for our products for the treatment of certain diseases or conditions, but we may be unable to obtain such designation or to maintain the benefits associated with orphan drug status, including market exclusivity, which may cause our revenue, if any, to be reduced.

Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the United States and European Union, may designate drugs for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. The FDA may grant Orphan Drug Designation to drugs intended to treat a rare disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals annually in the United States, or, if the disease or condition affects more than 200,000 individuals annually in the United States, if there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making the drug would be recovered from sales in the United States. In the European Union, the EMA’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products grants Orphan Drug Designation to promote the development of products that are intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of life-threatening or chronically debilitating conditions affecting not more than five in 10,000 persons in the European Union. Additionally, designation is granted for products intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening, seriously debilitating or serious and chronic condition and when, without incentives, it is unlikely that sales of the drug in the European Union would be sufficient to justify the necessary investment in developing the drug.

In the United States, Orphan Drug Designation entitles a party to financial incentives, such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical trial costs, tax credits for certain research and user fee waivers under certain circumstances. In addition, if a product receives the first FDA approval for the indication for which it has orphan designation, the product is entitled to seven years of market exclusivity, which means the FDA may not approve any other application for the same drug for the same indication for a period of seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority over the product with orphan exclusivity. Orphan drug exclusivity does not prevent the FDA from approving a different drug for the same disease or condition, or the same drug for a different disease or condition. In the European Union, Orphan Drug Designation also entitles a party to financial incentives such as reduction of fees or fee waivers and ten years of market exclusivity following drug approval. This period may be reduced to six years if the Orphan Drug Designation criteria are no longer met, including where it is shown that the product is sufficiently profitable so that market exclusivity is no longer justified.

As a result, even if our products receive orphan exclusivity, the FDA or European Medicines Agency (EMA) can still approve other drugs that have a different active ingredient for use in treating the same indication. Furthermore, the FDA can waive orphan exclusivity if we are unable to manufacture sufficient supply of our products or the EMA could reduce the term of exclusivity if our products are sufficiently profitable.

While we have received orphan drug designation for our VBX-100 prodrug for the treatment of pediatric ulcerative colitis, exclusive marketing rights in the United States may be limited if we seek approval for an indication broader than the orphan designated indication and may be lost if the FDA or EMA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantities of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.

We are dependent on the success of our products, which are still in pre-clinical development and will require significant capital resources and years of clinical development effort.

We currently have no pharmaceutical products on the market, and our product candidates are still in pre-clinical development. Our business depends on the successful clinical development, regulatory approval and commercialization of our product candidates, and additional pre-clinical testing and substantial clinical development and regulatory approval efforts will be required before we are permitted to commence commercialization, if ever. Any clinical trials and manufacturing and marketing of product candidates will be subject to extensive and rigorous review and regulation by numerous government authorities in the United States and other jurisdictions where we intend to test and, if approved, market our product candidates. Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of any product candidate, we would need to demonstrate through pre-clinical testing and clinical trials that the product candidate is safe and effective for use in each target indication, and potentially in specific patient populations. This process can take many years and may include post-marketing studies and surveillance, which would require the expenditures of substantial resources beyond our current resources. Of the large number of drugs in development for approval in the United States and the European Union, only a small percentage successfully complete the FDA or EMA regulatory approval processes, as applicable, and are commercialized. Accordingly, even if we are able to obtain the requisite financing to continue to fund our research, development and clinical programs, we are not certain that any of our product candidates will be successfully developed or commercialized.

Because the results of pre-clinical testing are not necessarily predictive of future results, our products may not have favorable results in their clinical trials.

Any positive results from our pre-clinical testing of our products may not necessarily be predictive of the results from clinical trials in humans. Many companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in clinical trials after achieving positive results in pre-clinical development, and we cannot be certain that we will not face similar setbacks. Moreover, pre-clinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many companies that believed their product candidates performed satisfactorily in pre-clinical studies and clinical trials nonetheless failed to obtain FDA or EMA approval. If we fail to produce positive results in our clinical trials, the development timeline and regulatory approval and commercialization prospects for our products and, correspondingly, our business and financial prospects, would be materially adversely affected.

Failures or delays in the completion of our pre-clinical studies or the commencement and completion of our clinical trials could result in increased costs to us and could delay, prevent or limit our ability to generate revenue and continue our business.

To date, we have not completed our pre-clinical animal studies or commenced any clinical trials. Successful completion of such pre-clinical animal studies and clinical trials is a prerequisite to submitting an NDA to the FDA or a marketing authorization application (MAA) to the EMA. Clinical trials are expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and their outcomes are uncertain. A product candidate can unexpectedly fail at any stage of clinical development. The historic failure rate for product candidates is high due to scientific feasibility, safety, efficacy, changing standards of medical care and other variables. The commencement and completion of clinical trials can be delayed or prevented for a number of reasons, including, among others:

● delays in reaching or failing to reach agreement on acceptable terms with prospective clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different clinical trial sites;

● delays or inability in manufacturing or obtaining sufficient quantity or quality of a product candidate or other materials necessary to conduct clinical trials due to regulatory and manufacturing constraints, including delays or an inability to hire appropriate staff or consultants with requisite expertise in chemistry and manufacturing controls for pharmaceutical products;

● difficulties obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB), DEA or comparable foreign regulatory authority, or ethics committee approval to conduct a clinical trial at a prospective site or sites;

● challenges in recruiting and enrolling patients to participate in clinical trials, including the size and nature of the patient population, the proximity of patients to clinical trial sites, eligibility criteria for the clinical trial, the nature of the clinical trial protocol, the availability of approved effective treatments for the relevant indication and competition from other clinical trial programs for similar indications;

● severe or unexpected toxicities or drug-related side effects experienced by patients in our clinical trials or by individuals using drugs similar to our product candidates;

● DEA or comparable foreign regulatory authority-related recordkeeping, reporting or security violations at a clinical trial site, leading the DEA, state authorities or comparable foreign regulatory authorities to suspend or revoke the controlled substance license at the site and causing a delay or termination of planned or ongoing clinical trials;

● regulatory concerns with cannabinoid products generally and the potential for abuse of those products;

● difficulties retaining patients who have enrolled in a clinical trial who may withdraw due to lack of efficacy, side effects, personal issues or loss of interest;

● ambiguous or negative interim results; or

● lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial.

In addition, a clinical trial may be suspended or terminated by us, the FDA, IRBs, ethics committees, data safety monitoring boards or other foreign regulatory authorities overseeing the clinical trial at issue or other regulatory authorities due to a number of factors, including, among others:

● failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical trial protocols;

● inspection of the clinical trial operations, clinical trial sites, or drug manufacturing facilities by the FDA, the DEA, the EMA or other foreign regulatory authorities that reveals deficiencies or violations that require us to undertake corrective action, including the imposition of a clinical hold;

● unforeseen safety issues, including any safety issues that could be identified in our ongoing toxicology studies;

● adverse side effects or lack of effectiveness; and

● changes in government regulations or administrative actions.

We intend to focus on prodrugs for certain indications, and may fail to capitalize on other product candidates or other indications that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.

Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we have reduced the scope of our research program and have limited that research to our proprietary products for certain indications, which concentrates the risk of product failure in the event the products prove to be unsafe, ineffective or inadequate for clinical development or commercialization. As a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or for other indications that could 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 proprietary research and development programs relating to our products may not yield any commercially viable products. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for our products, we may relinquish valuable rights to our products through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to our products.

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

We are not permitted to market our product candidates in the United States or the European Union until we receive approval of an NDA from the FDA or an MAA from the EMA, respectively, or in any foreign countries until we receive the requisite approval from such countries. Prior to submitting an NDA to the FDA or an MAA to the EMA for approval of our product candidates we will need to complete our ongoing pre-clinical studies, as well as Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials. We are still conducting pre-clinical studies and have not yet commenced our clinical program or tested any product in humans. Successfully initiating and completing our clinical program and obtaining approval of an NDA or MAA is a complex, lengthy, expensive and uncertain process, and the FDA or EMA may delay, limit or deny approval of our product candidates for many reasons, including, among others, because:

● we may not be able to demonstrate that our product candidates are safe and effective in treating patients to the satisfaction of the FDA or EMA;

● the results of our clinical trials may not meet the level of statistical or clinical significance required by the FDA or EMA for marketing approval;

● the FDA or EMA may disagree with the number, design, size, conduct or implementation of our clinical trials;

● the FDA or EMA may require that we conduct additional clinical trials;

● the FDA or EMA or other applicable foreign regulatory authorities may not approve the formulation, labeling or specifications of our product candidates;

● the contract research organizations, or CROs, and other contractors that we may retain to conduct our clinical trials may take actions outside of our control that materially adversely impact our clinical trials;

● the FDA or EMA may find the data from pre-clinical studies and clinical trials insufficient to demonstrate that our products’ clinical and other benefits outweigh their safety risks;

● the FDA or EMA may disagree with our interpretation of data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials;

● the FDA or EMA may not accept data generated at our clinical trial sites or may disagree with us over whether to accept efficacy results from clinical trial sites outside the United States where the standard of care is potentially different from that in the United States;

● if and when our NDAs or MAAs are submitted to the FDA or EMA, as applicable, the regulatory agency may have difficulties scheduling the necessary review meetings in a timely manner, may recommend against approval of our application or may recommend or require, as a condition of approval, additional pre-clinical studies or clinical trials, limitations on approved labeling or distribution and use restrictions;

● the FDA may require development of a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), which would use risk minimization strategies beyond the professional labeling to ensure that the benefits of certain prescription drugs outweigh their risks, as a condition of approval or post-approval, and the EMA may grant only conditional approval or impose specific obligations as a condition for marketing authorization, or may require us to conduct post-authorization safety studies;

● the FDA, EMA, DEA or other applicable foreign regulatory agencies may not approve the manufacturing processes or facilities of third-party manufacturers with which we contract;

● the DEA or other applicable foreign regulatory agency may establish quotas that limit the quantities of controlled substances available to our manufacturers; or

● the FDA or EMA may change their approval policies or adopt new regulations.

Any of these factors, many of which are beyond our control, could jeopardize our ability to obtain regulatory approval for and successfully market our products.

Even if our products receive regulatory approval, they may still face future development and regulatory difficulties.

If we seek and obtain regulatory approval for any of our products, such approval would be subject to extensive ongoing requirements by the DEA, FDA, EMA and other foreign regulatory authorities related to the manufacture, quality control, further development, labeling, packaging, storage, distribution, safety surveillance, import, export, advertising, promotion, recordkeeping and reporting of safety and other post-market information. The safety profile of any product will continue to be closely monitored by the FDA, EMA and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities. If the FDA, EMA or any other comparable foreign regulatory authority becomes aware of new safety information after approval of any of our product candidates, these regulatory authorities may require labeling changes or establishment of a REMS, impose significant restrictions on a product’s indicated uses or marketing, impose ongoing requirements for potentially costly post-approval studies or post-market surveillance, or impose a recall.

In addition, manufacturers of therapeutic products and their facilities are subject to continual review and periodic inspections by the FDA, the EMA and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities for compliance with current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) regulations. Our current facilities and staff have never undergone such an inspection, and we currently rely upon outside consultants and advisors to provide guidance on chemistry and manufacturing controls for pharmaceutical products. Further, manufacturers of controlled substances must obtain and maintain necessary DEA and state registrations and registrations with applicable foreign regulatory authorities and must establish and maintain processes to ensure compliance with DEA and state requirements and requirements of applicable foreign regulatory authorities governing, among other things, the storage, handling, security, recordkeeping and reporting for controlled substances. If we or a regulatory agency discover previously unknown problems with a product, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facility where the product is manufactured, a regulatory agency may impose restrictions on that product, the manufacturing facility or us, including requiring recall or withdrawal of the product from the market or suspension of manufacturing. If we, our product candidates or the manufacturing facilities for our product candidates fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, a regulatory agency may, among other things:

● issue untitled letters or warning letters;

● mandate modifications to promotional materials or require us to provide corrective information to healthcare practitioners;

● require us to enter into a consent decree, which can include imposition of various fines, reimbursements for inspection costs, required due dates for specific actions and penalties for noncompliance;

● seek an injunction or impose civil or criminal penalties or monetary fines;

● suspend or withdraw regulatory approval;

● suspend any ongoing clinical trials;

● refuse to approve pending applications or supplements to applications filed by us; or

● require us to initiate a product recall.

The occurrence of any event or penalty described above may inhibit our ability to commercialize our product candidates and may otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our products will be subject to controlled substance laws and regulations; failure to receive necessary approvals may delay the launch of our products and failure to comply with these laws and regulations may adversely affect the results of our business operations.

Our products will contain controlled substances as defined in the federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA). Controlled substances that are pharmaceutical products are subject to a high degree of regulation under the CSA, which establishes, among other things, certain registration, manufacturing quotas, security, recordkeeping, reporting, import, export and other requirements administered by the DEA. The DEA classifies controlled substances into five schedules: Schedule I, II, III, IV or V substances. Schedule I substances by definition have a high potential for abuse, have no currently “accepted medical use” in the United States, lack accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and may not be prescribed, marketed or sold in the United States. Pharmaceutical products approved for use in the United States may be listed as Schedule II, III, IV or V, with Schedule II substances considered to present the highest potential for abuse or dependence and Schedule V substances the lowest relative risk of abuse among such substances. Schedule I and II drugs are subject to the strictest controls under the CSA, including manufacturing and procurement quotas, security requirements and criteria for importation. In addition, dispensing of Schedule II drugs is further restricted. For example, they may not be refilled without a new prescription.

While cannabis is a Schedule I controlled substance, products approved for medical use in the United States that contain cannabis or cannabis extracts must be placed in Schedules II – V, since approval by the FDA satisfies the “accepted medical use” requirement. If and when our products receive FDA approval, the DEA will make a scheduling determination and place them in a schedule other than Schedule I in order for it to be prescribed to patients in the United States. If approved by the FDA, we expect the finished dosage forms of our products to be listed by the DEA as a Schedule II, III, IV or V controlled substance. Consequently, their manufacture, importation, exportation, domestic distribution, storage, sale and legitimate use will be subject to a significant degree of regulation by the DEA. The scheduling process may take additional time after FDA approval, thereby significantly delaying the launch of our products. Furthermore, if the FDA, DEA or any foreign regulatory authority determines that our products may have potential for abuse, it may require us to generate more clinical data than that which is currently anticipated, which could increase the cost and/or delay the launch of our products.

Because our products will contain compounds considered to be Schedule I substances, to conduct pre-clinical studies and clinical trials with our products in the United States prior to approval, each of our research sites must submit a research protocol to the DEA and obtain and maintain a DEA researcher registration that will allow those sites to procure necessary materials from suppliers, and to handle and dispense our products. If the DEA delays or denies the grant of a research registration to one or more research sites, the pre-clinical studies or clinical trials could be significantly delayed, and we could lose and be required to replace clinical trial sites, resulting in additional costs.

We will also need to identify wholesale distributors with the appropriate DEA registrations and authority to distribute our products to pharmacies and other healthcare providers, and these distributors would need to obtain Schedule II through V distribution registrations. The failure to obtain, or delay in obtaining, or the loss of any of those registrations could result in increased costs to us. If our products are Schedule II drugs, pharmacies would have to maintain enhanced security with alarms and monitoring systems and they must adhere to recordkeeping and inventory requirements. Furthermore, state and federal enforcement actions, regulatory requirements, and legislation intended to reduce prescription drug abuse, such as the requirement that physicians consult a state prescription drug monitoring program, may make physicians less willing to prescribe, and pharmacies to dispense, Schedule II products.

We may manufacture the commercial supply of our products, or necessary raw materials, outside of the United States. If our products are each approved by the FDA and classified as a Schedule II or III substance, an importer can import that product for commercial purposes if it obtains from the DEA an importer registration and files an application with the DEA for an import permit for each importation. The DEA provides annual assessments/estimates to the International Narcotics Control Board which guides the DEA in the amounts of controlled substances that the DEA authorizes to be imported. The failure to identify an importer or obtain the necessary import authority, including specific quantities, could affect the availability of our products and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, an application for a Schedule II importer registration must be published in the Federal Register, and there is a waiting period for third-party comments to be submitted.

Individual states have also established controlled substance laws and regulations. Although state-controlled substance laws often mirror federal law, states may schedule our product candidates in a different manner. While some states automatically schedule a drug based on federal action, other states schedule drugs through rulemaking or a legislative action. State scheduling may delay commercial sale of any product for which we obtain federal regulatory approval and adverse scheduling could have a material adverse effect on the commercial attractiveness of such product. We or our partners must also obtain separate state registrations, permits or licenses in order to be able to obtain, handle, and distribute controlled substances for clinical trials or commercial sale, and failure to meet applicable regulatory requirements could lead to enforcement actions and sanctions by the states in addition to those from the DEA or otherwise arising under federal law.

We currently face, and will continue to face, significant competition in our pharmaceutical business.

Our major competitors for the development of pharmaceutical products related to cannabinoids and inflammatory disorders include major pharmaceutical companies, smaller companies, and academic research groups that are devoted to biological or pharmaceutical research either independently or by providing contract research services. A number of multinational pharmaceutical companies are developing products in similar therapeutic areas, including, but not limited to, Biogen, Teva Neuroscience, Pfizer, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Genzyme, Novartis, Bayer Healthcare, and additional companies such as Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Corbus Pharmaceuticals, Trait Biosciences, and Zynerba Pharmaceuticals are developing cannabinoid pharmaceuticals for treatment of various clinical indications and commercial applications.

Failure to obtain regulatory approval in jurisdictions outside the United States and the European Union would prevent our product candidates from being marketed in those jurisdictions.

In order to market and sell our products in jurisdictions other than the United States and the European Union, we must obtain separate marketing approvals and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements. The regulatory approval process outside the United States and the European Union generally includes all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA and EMA approval, but can involve additional testing. We may need to partner with third parties in order to obtain approvals outside the United States and the European Union. In addition, in many countries worldwide, it is required that the product be approved for reimbursement before the product can be approved for sale in that country. We may not obtain approvals from regulatory authorities outside the United States and the European Union on a timely basis, if at all. Even if we were to receive approval in the United States or the European Union, approval by the FDA or the EMA does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions. Similarly, approval by one regulatory authority outside the United States and the European Union would not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions or by the FDA or the EMA. We may not be able to file for marketing approvals and may not receive necessary approvals to commercialize our products in any market. If we are unable to obtain approval of our product candidates by regulatory authorities in other foreign jurisdictions, the commercial prospects of those product candidates may be significantly diminished and our business prospects could decline.

Healthcare legislation, including potentially unfavorable pricing regulations or other healthcare reform initiatives, may increase the difficulty and cost for us to obtain marketing approval of and commercialize our product candidates.

In the United States there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding the healthcare system that could prevent or delay marketing approval of our product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities or affect our ability to profitably sell any product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, or the Affordable Care Act, among other things, imposes a significant annual fee on companies that manufacture or import branded prescription drug products. It also contains substantial provisions intended to broaden access to health insurance, reduce or constrain the growth of healthcare spending, enhance remedies against healthcare fraud and abuse, add new transparency requirements for the healthcare and health insurance industries, impose new taxes and fees on pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, and impose additional health policy reforms, any of which could negatively impact our business. We expect that the Affordable Care Act, as well as other healthcare reform measures that have been and may be adopted in the future, may result in more rigorous coverage criteria and in additional downward pressure on the price that we receive for any approved product, and could negatively impact our future revenues. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may compromise our ability to generate revenue, attain profitability or commercialize our products.

Even if we are able to commercialize our products, the products may not receive coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-party payors, which could harm our business.

The availability of reimbursement by governmental and private payors is essential for most patients to be able to afford expensive treatments. Sales of our products, if approved, will depend substantially on the extent to which the costs of these products will be paid by health maintenance, managed care, pharmacy benefit and similar healthcare management organizations, or reimbursed by government health administration authorities, private health coverage insurers and other third-party payors. If reimbursement is not available, or is available only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our products. Even if coverage is provided, the approved reimbursement amount may not be high enough to allow us to establish or maintain pricing sufficient to realize a sufficient return on our investment.

In the United States, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, or Medicare Modernization Act, established the Medicare Part D program and provided authority for limiting the number of drugs that will be covered in any therapeutic class thereunder. The Medicare Modernization Act, including its cost reduction initiatives, could decrease the coverage and reimbursement rate that we receive for any of our approved products. Furthermore, private payors often follow Medicare coverage policies and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement rates. Therefore, any reduction in reimbursement that results from the Medicare Modernization Act may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors.

There is significant uncertainty related to the insurance coverage and reimbursement of newly approved products. In the United States, the principal decisions about reimbursement for new medicines are typically made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as CMS decides whether and to what extent a new medicine will be covered and reimbursed under Medicare. Private payors tend to follow CMS to a substantial degree.

The intended use of a drug product by a physician can also affect pricing. For example, CMS could initiate a National Coverage Determination administrative procedure, by which the agency determines which uses of a therapeutic product would and would not be reimbursable under Medicare. This determination process can be lengthy, thereby creating a long period during which the future reimbursement for a particular product may be uncertain.

Outside the United States, particularly in member states of the European Union, the pricing of prescription drugs is subject to governmental control. In these countries, pricing negotiations or the successful completion of health technology assessment procedures with governmental authorities can take considerable time after receipt of marketing approval for a product. In addition, there can be considerable pressure by governments and other stakeholders on prices and reimbursement levels, including as part of cost containment measures. Certain countries allow companies to fix their own prices for medicines, but monitor and control company profits. Political, economic and regulatory developments may further complicate pricing negotiations, and pricing negotiations may continue after reimbursement has been obtained. Reference pricing used by various European Union member states and parallel distribution, or arbitrage between low-priced and high-priced member states, can further reduce prices. In some countries, we or our collaborators may be required to conduct a clinical trial or other studies that compare the cost-effectiveness of our product candidates to other available therapies in order to obtain or maintain reimbursement or pricing approval. Publication of discounts by third-party payors or authorities may lead to further pressure on the prices or reimbursement levels within the country of publication and other countries. If reimbursement of any product candidate approved for marketing is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects could be adversely affected.

Our relationships with customers and third-party payors will be subject to applicable anti-kickback, fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations, which could expose us to criminal sanctions, civil penalties, contractual damages, reputational harm and diminished profits and future earnings.

Healthcare providers, physicians and third-party payors play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. Our future arrangements with third-party payors and customers may expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations that may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we market, sell and distribute our products for which we obtain marketing approval. As a pharmaceutical company, even though we do not and will not control referrals of healthcare services or bill directly to Medicare, Medicaid or other third-party payors, certain federal and state healthcare laws and regulations pertaining to fraud and abuse and patients’ rights are and will be applicable to our business. Restrictions under applicable federal and state healthcare laws and regulations that may affect our ability to operate include the following:

● the U.S. federal healthcare Anti-Kickback Statute impacts our marketing practices, educational programs, pricing policies and relationships with healthcare providers or other entities, by prohibiting, among other things, persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward, or in return for, either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order or recommendation of, any good or service, for which payment may be made under a federal healthcare program such as Medicare and Medicaid;

● federal civil and criminal false claims laws and civil monetary penalty laws impose criminal and civil penalties, including through civil whistleblower or qui tam actions, against individuals or entities for knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the federal government, including the Medicare and Medicaid programs, claims for payment that are false or fraudulent (including through impermissible promotion of our products for off-label uses) or making a false statement or record to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government;

● the U.S. federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), imposes criminal and civil liability for executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program and also created federal criminal laws that prohibit knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statements in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services;

● HIPAA, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, establish federal standards for maintaining the privacy and security of certain patient health information known as Protected Health Information (PHI). As amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), HIPAA establishes federal standards for administrative, technical and physical safeguards relevant to the electronic transmission of PHI and imposes notification obligations in the event of a breach of the privacy or security of PHI. In addition to adhering to the requirements of HIPAA, entities considered “covered entities” under HIPAA (such as health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and certain healthcare providers) are required to obtain assurances in the form of a written contract from certain business associates to which they transmit PHI (or who create, receive, transmit or maintain PHI on the covered entity’s behalf) to ensure that the privacy and security of such information is maintained in accordance with HIPAA requirements. HITECH made changes to HIPAA including extending the reach of HIPAA beyond HIPAA covered entities to business associates, increased the maximum civil monetary penalties for violations of HIPAA, and granted enforcement authority to state attorneys general. Failure to comply with HIPAA/HITECH can result in civil and criminal liability, including civil monetary penalties, fines and imprisonment;

● the U.S. federal physician payment transparency requirements under the Affordable Care Act require applicable manufacturers of covered drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies to report annually to HHS information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians, certain other healthcare providers, and teaching hospitals, and ownership and investment interests held by physicians and certain other healthcare providers and their immediate family members and applicable group purchasing organizations; and

● analogous state laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, may apply to sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payors, including private insurers. Some state laws require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government and may require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and certain other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures. Additionally, state and foreign laws govern the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA/HITECH, thus complicating compliance efforts.

Comparable laws and regulations exist in the countries within the European Economic Area (EEA). Although such laws are partially based upon European Union law, they may vary from country to country. Healthcare specific, as well as general European Union and national laws, regulations and industry codes constrain, for example, our interactions with government officials and healthcare practitioners, and the handling of healthcare data. Non-compliance with any of these laws or regulations could lead to criminal or civil liability.

Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment, exclusion from government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations. If any physicians or other healthcare providers or entities with whom we expect to do business are found to not be in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs.

Also, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Our internal control policies and procedures may not protect us from reckless or negligent acts committed by our employees, future distributors, licensees or agents. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could result in fines, penalties or prosecution and have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and reputation.

Our products, if approved, may be unable to achieve broad market acceptance and, consequently, limit our ability to generate revenue from new products.

Even when product development is successful and regulatory approval has been obtained, our ability to generate significant revenue depends on the acceptance of our products by physicians and patients. The market acceptance of any product depends on a number of factors, including the indication statement and warnings approved by regulatory authorities in the product label, continued demonstration of efficacy and safety in commercial use, physicians’ willingness to prescribe the product, reimbursement from third-party payors such as government healthcare systems and insurance companies, the price of the product, the nature of any post-approval risk management plans mandated by regulatory authorities, competition, and marketing and distribution support. Any factor preventing or limiting the market acceptance of our product candidates could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If we receive regulatory approvals, we may market our products in multiple jurisdictions where we have limited or no operating experience and may be subject to increased business and economic risks that could affect our financial results.

If we receive regulatory approvals, we may market our products in jurisdictions where we have limited or no experience in marketing, developing and distributing our products. Certain markets have substantial legal and regulatory complexities that we may not have experience navigating. We are subject to a variety of risks inherent in doing business internationally, including risks related to the legal and regulatory environment in non-U.S. jurisdictions, including with respect to privacy and data security, trade control laws and unexpected changes in laws, regulatory requirements and enforcement, as well as risks related to fluctuations in currency exchange rates and political, social and economic instability in foreign countries. In addition, controlled substance legislation may differ in other jurisdictions and could restrict our ability to market our products internationally. If we are unable to manage our international operations successfully, our financial results could be adversely affected.

Our products will contain controlled substances, the use of which may generate public controversy.

Since our products will contain controlled substances, their regulatory approval may generate public controversy. Political and social pressures and adverse publicity could lead to delays in approval of, and increased expenses for, our products. These pressures could also limit or restrict the introduction and marketing of our products. Adverse publicity from cannabis misuse or adverse side effects from cannabis or other cannabinoid products may adversely affect the commercial success or market penetration achievable by our products. The nature of our business attracts a high level of public and media interest, and in the event of any resultant adverse publicity, our reputation may be harmed.

If we fail to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights or secure rights to the intellectual property of others, the value of our intellectual property rights would diminish.

We expect to continue to develop our intellectual property portfolio as we increase our research and development efforts. We may be unable to obtain patents or other protection for any technologies we develop, because such technologies are not coverable by patents or other forms of registered intellectual property, because third parties file patents covering the same claims earlier than we do, or for other reasons. If we are able to obtain issued patents, we cannot predict the degree and range of protection any patents will afford us against competitors, including whether third parties will find ways to invalidate or otherwise circumvent our patents. Others may obtain patents claiming aspects similar to those covered by our patents and patent applications, which may limit the efficacy of the protections afforded by any patents we may obtain.

Our success will also depend upon the skills, knowledge and experience of our personnel, our consultants and advisors as well as our licensors and contractors. To help protect any proprietary know-how we develop and any inventions for which patents may be unobtainable or difficult to obtain, we expect to rely on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements. To this end, we expect to require our employees, consultants, advisors and contractors to enter into agreements which prohibit the disclosure of confidential information and, where applicable, require disclosure and assignment to us of the ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions important to our business. These agreements may not provide adequate protection for our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use or disclosure or the lawful development by others of such information. If any of our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information is disclosed, the value of our trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary rights would be significantly impaired and our business and competitive position would suffer.

If we infringe the rights of third parties we could be prevented from selling products and forced to pay damages or defend against litigation.

If our products, methods, processes and other technologies infringe the proprietary rights of other parties, we could incur substantial costs. In that case, we could be required to:

Any of these outcomes could divert management attention and other resources and could significantly harm our operations and financial condition.

We may incur substantial liabilities and may be required to limit commercialization of our products in response to product liability lawsuits.

If we are able to develop and commercialize our proposed products, we could become subject to product liability claims. If we are not able to successfully defend against such claims, we may incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit commercialization of our proposed products. If we are unable to obtain sufficient product liability insurance at an acceptable cost to protect against potential product liability, claims could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of products we develop, alone or with collaborators. Even if our agreements with any future collaborators entitle us to indemnification against losses, such indemnification may not be available or adequate should any claim arise.

Government regulation of our products could increase our costs, prevent us from offering certain products or cause us to recall products.

The processing, formulation, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, advertising and distribution of our products is subject to regulation by one or more federal agencies, and various agencies of the states and localities in which our products are manufactured and sold. These government regulatory agencies may attempt to regulate any of our products that fall within their jurisdiction. Such regulatory agencies may not accept the evidence of safety for any new ingredients that we may want to market, may determine that a particular product or product ingredient presents an unacceptable health risk, may determine that a particular statement of nutritional support that we want to use is an unacceptable drug claim or an unauthorized version of a food “health claim,” may determine that a particular product is an unapproved new drug, or may determine that particular claims are not adequately supported by available scientific evidence. Such a determination would prevent us from marketing particular products or using certain statements of nutritional support on our products. We also may be unable to disseminate third-party literature that supports our products if the third-party literature fails to satisfy certain requirements.

In addition, a government regulatory agency could require us to remove a particular product from the market. Any product recall or removal would result in additional costs to us, including lost revenues from any products that we are required to remove from the market, any of which could be material. Any such product recalls or removals could lead to liability, substantial costs and reduced growth prospects.

If any of our products contain plants, herbs or other substances not recognized as safe by a government regulatory agency, we may not be able to market or sell such products in that jurisdiction. Any such prohibition could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Further, if more stringent statutes are enacted, or if more stringent regulations are promulgated, we may not be able to comply with such statutes or regulations without incurring substantial expense, or at all.

We are not able to predict the nature of future laws, regulations, repeals or interpretations or to predict the effect additional governmental regulation, if and when it occurs, would have on our business in the future. Such developments could, however, require reformulation of certain products to meet new standards, recalls or discontinuance of certain products not able to be reformulated, additional record-keeping requirements, increased documentation of the properties of certain products, additional or different labeling, additional scientific substantiation, or other new requirements. Any such developments could involve substantial additional costs to us, which we may not be able to fund, and could have a material adverse effect on our business operations and financial condition.

We use hazardous materials in our drug development business and may use such materials in our environmental businesses in the future. Any claims relating to improper handling, storage or disposal of these materials could be time consuming and costly.

Our cannabinoid research and development efforts and manufacturing processes may involve the controlled storage, use and disposal of certain hazardous materials and waste products. The same may be true for our environmental businesses. We and our suppliers and other collaborators are subject to federal, state and local regulations governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of materials and waste products. Even if we and these suppliers and collaborators comply with the standards prescribed by law and regulation, the risk of accidental contamination or injury from hazardous materials cannot be eliminated. We may not be able to obtain and maintain insurance on acceptable terms, or at all, to cover costs associated with any such accidental contamination. In the event of such an accident, we could be held liable for any damages that result, and any liability could exceed the limits or fall outside the coverage of any insurance we may obtain and exceed our financial resources. We may incur significant costs to comply with current or future environmental laws and regulations.

Risks Related to our Impact Investing Strategy

If we are unable to identify and acquire businesses or assets in furtherance of our impact investing strategy, we may be unable to generate significant revenue.

We intend to acquire additional businesses and assets that will generate revenue related to our impact investing strategy and there can no assurance that we will be able to do so, or to do so on terms that are acceptable to us, or in a manner that will provide us with the revenue we expect.

Our consideration of sustainability and environmental criteria as the pre-eminent part of our business and investment strategy will limit the types and number of business opportunities available to the Company and may result in the Company engaging in industry sectors that underperform the market as a whole, or forgoing opportunities to invest available capital in businesses that might otherwise be advantageous to buy. If we are not successful in acquiring or developing desirable businesses or assets which fit within our business strategy or if those assets do not generate sufficient revenue, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Our impact investing strategy is new, untested and may not be successful.

Our impact investing strategy is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the factors we utilize in making capital and other resource allocation decisions or any judgment exercised by our management or Board will reflect the opinions of any particular shareholder, and the criteria utilized by the Company may differ from the criteria that any particular shareholder considers relevant in evaluating a company’s sustainability or ESG practices. In making allocation and investment decisions, Company management will be dependent upon information and data obtained through voluntary or third-party reporting that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, or present conflicting information and data with respect to a particular opportunity, which in each case could cause the Company to incorrectly assess a potential target’s business practices with respect to its sustainability and ESG practices. Socially and environmentally-responsible norms differ by region. In implementing its impact investing strategy, management will seek to exclude businesses deemed to be fundamentally misaligned with the Company’s sustainability principles. In addition, as a result of the Company’s engagement activities, the Company may make an investment in activities or companies that do not currently engage in sustainability or ESG practices that meet criteria established by the Company in an effort to improve such target’s ESG practices. Successful application of the Company’s impact investing strategy and management’s engagement efforts will depend on management’s skill in properly identifying and analyzing material ESG issues, and there can be no assurance that the strategy or techniques employed will be successful.

We have limited experience operating an impact investing strategy and may be subject to increased business and economic risks that could affect our financial results.

We have limited experience operating a business with an impact investing strategy. If we are unable to manage our ESG-related operations successfully, our financial results could be adversely affected.

We may be unable to obtain the financing we need to pursue our impact investing strategy and any future financing we receive may be less favorable to us than our current financing arrangements, either of which may adversely affect our ability to expand our operations.

ESG- and sustainability-related projects and businesses we may seek to acquire or develop will require substantial capital investment. Our access to capital on acceptable or favorable terms to us is necessary for the success of our impact investing strategy, particularly in enhancing our portfolio through M&A activities. Our attempts to obtain the necessary future financing may not be successful or on favorable terms. Our ability to arrange for financing on a substantially non-recourse or limited recourse basis, and the costs of such financing, are dependent on numerous factors, including general economic conditions, conditions in the global capital and credit markets, investor confidence, the success of our business, the credit quality of the businesses being financed, and the continued existence of tax laws which are conducive to raising capital for these types of activities. If we are not able to obtain financing on a substantially non-recourse or limited recourse basis, we may have to finance them using recourse capital such as direct equity investments or the incurrence of additional debt by us. Also, in the absence of favorable financing options, we may decide not to develop or acquire facilities or businesses from third parties. Any of these alternatives could have a material adverse effect on our growth prospects.

We may also need additional financing to implement our impact investing strategic plan. For example, our cash flow from operations and existing liquidity facilities may not be adequate to finance any acquisitions we may want to pursue or new technologies we may want to develop or acquire. Financing for acquisitions or technology development activities may not be available on terms we find acceptable.

Unfavorable legislative changes could affect our financial results.

Most of the types of environmental assets we are considering purchasing are subject to environmental regulations and we expect such regulatory conditions to influence the assumptions we will make regarding future revenues and expenses. If those regulatory conditions change, our revenues may be decreased and our expenses could increase, adversely affecting our financial results.

The reduction or elimination of government incentives could adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flows.

Our planned impact investing strategy may benefit in the future from public policies and government incentives that support renewable energy and enhance the economic feasibility of sustainability-based projects in regions where we operate. Such policies and incentives include tax credits, accelerated depreciation tax benefits, renewable portfolio standards, carbon trading mechanisms, rebates, and may include similar or other incentives to end users, distributors, or other participants in the energy or mining industry. Some of these measures have been implemented at the federal level, while others have been implemented by different states within the United States. The availability and continuation of these public policies and government incentives are likely to have a significant effect on the economics and viability of our environmental businesses. Any changes to such public policies, or any reduction in or elimination or expiration of such government incentives could affect us in different ways. For example, policies supporting or deregulating the exploration, production and use of fossil fuels may create regulatory uncertainty in the renewable energy industry. Any of the foregoing outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, future results, and cash flows.

We may decide not to implement, or may not be successful in implementing, one or more elements of our multi-year strategic plan, and the plan as implemented may not achieve its goal of enhancing shareholder value through the long-term growth of our Company

We are implementing a multi-year strategic plan to develop an impact investing business engaged in a number of complimentary ESG businesses in the United States which will permit us to explore synergistic growth opportunities utilizing our core competencies.

There are uncertainties and risks associated with our strategic plan, including with respect to implementation and outcome. We may decide to change, or to not implement, one or more elements of the plan over time or we may not be successful in implementing one or more elements of the plan, in each case for a number of reasons. For example, we may face significant challenges and risks expanding into an impact investing business including:

Apart from the risks associated with implementing the plan, the plan itself will expose us to other risks and uncertainties once implemented. Expanding our customer base may expose us to customers with different credit profiles than our current customers. Expanding our geographic base will subject us to risks associated with doing business in new foreign countries in which we will have to learn the business and political environment. In addition, expanding into new technologies will expose us to new risks and uncertainties that are unknown to us now in addition to the risks and uncertainties that may be similar to those we now face. The success of the plan, once implemented, will depend, among other things, on our ability to manage these risks effectively.

The trading price of our common stock could decline if securities, industry analysts or our investors disagree with our strategic plan or the way we implement it. Accordingly, there is no assurance that the plan will enhance shareholder value through long-term growth of the Company to the extent currently anticipated by our management or at all.

We may engage in a business combination with one target business that has relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or initial shareholder which may raise potential conflicts of interest.

In carrying our impact investing strategy, we may decide to acquire a business affiliated with our executive officers, directors or our largest shareholder. We would pursue a transaction with an affiliated entity if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria and guidelines for a business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. We may not obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity regarding the fairness to the Company from a financial point of view of a business combination with a business affiliated with our executive officers, directors or largest shareholder. In the event of a transaction with an affiliated entity, potential conflicts of interest may exist and, as a result, the terms of the transaction may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.

We may not be able to successfully conclude the transactions, integrate companies, which we may acquire in the future, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

Our impact investing strategy is to develop our ESG business primarily through acquisitions. Integrating acquisitions is often costly, and we may not be able to successfully integrate our acquired businesses with our existing operations without substantial costs, delays or other adverse operational or financial consequences. Completion of M&A transactions may be subject to fulfilling conditions and receiving regulatory approval. Integrating our acquired companies involves a number of risks that could materially and adversely affect our business, including:

If any of our acquired companies suffers customer dissatisfaction or performance problems, this could adversely affect the reputation of our group of companies and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, future results and cash flow.

Concentration of customers, specific projects and regions may expose us to heightened financial exposure.

Our ESG businesses may be heavily dependent on a single or limited number of customers. The financial performance of our ESG businesses depends on the ability of each customer to perform its obligations, possibly under a long-term agreement between the parties. Our financial results could be materially and adversely affected if any of our customers fail to fulfill its contractual obligations and we are unable to find other customers in the marketplace to purchase at the same level of profitability. We cannot assure that such performance failures by our customers will not occur, or that if they do occur, such failures will not adversely affect the cash flows or profitability of our businesses. Moreover, there can be no assurance that we will be able to enter into replacement agreements on favorable terms or at all.

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target ESG businesses, we may enter into business combinations that do not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target ESG businesses, it is possible that we may not acquire or enter into transactions with a target business which will not have all of these positive attributes. If shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or other requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of those business combinations if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines.

We may make future acquisitions or form partnerships and joint ventures that may involve numerous risks that could impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our impact investing strategy may include expanding our scope of products and services organically or through selective acquisitions, investments or creating partnerships and joint ventures. We may selectively acquire other businesses, product or service lines, assets or technologies that are complementary to our business. We may be unable to find or consummate future acquisitions at acceptable prices and terms, or we may be unable to integrate existing or future acquisitions effectively and efficiently and may need to divest those acquisitions. We expect to continually evaluate potential acquisition opportunities in the ordinary course of business. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including among others:

The success of acquisitions of businesses, new technologies and products, or arrangements with third parties is not always predictable and we may not be successful in realizing our objectives as anticipated. Furthermore, any future credit facility we may have may contain certain covenants that limit, or that may have the effect of limiting, among other things, the payment of dividends, acquisitions, capital expenditures, the sale of assets and the incurrence of additional indebtedness.

We could be exposed to significant liability for violations of hazardous substances laws because of the use or presence of such substances at our facilities or properties.

Our ESG business operations will be subject to numerous federal, regional, state and local statutory and regulatory standards relating to the generation, handling, transportation, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous substances. If any hazardous substances are found to have been released into the environment at or by one of our facilities or on one of our properties in concentrations that exceed regulatory limits, we could become liable for the investigation and removal of those substances, regardless of their source and time of release. If we fail to comply with these laws, ordinances or regulations (or any change thereto), we could be subject to civil or criminal liability, the imposition of liens or fines, and cessation of operations, large expenditures to bring our operations into compliance or other sanctions. Furthermore, under certain federal and states laws in the United States, we can be held liable for the cleanup of releases of hazardous substances at any of our current or former facilities or at any other locations where we arranged for disposal of those substances, even if we did not cause the release at that location or if the release complied with applicable law at the time it occurred. Liability under these laws can be joint and several. The cost of any remediation activities in connection with a spill or other release of such substances could be significant and could expose us to significant liability.

Our operations could be adversely impacted by climate change.

Our Environmental Services operations may be susceptible to losses and interruptions caused by extreme weather conditions such as droughts, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and water or other natural resource shortages, occurrences of which may increase in frequency and severity as a result of climate change. Climate change may also produce general changes in weather or other environmental conditions, including temperature or precipitation levels. To the extent weather conditions continue to be impacted by climate change, our Environmental Services operations and facilities may be adversely impacted in a manner that we could not predict which may in turn adversely impact our results of operations. In addition, the potential physical effects of climate change, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, floods, and other climatic events, could disrupt our operations and cause us to incur significant costs to prepare for or respond to these effects.

If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to carry out our impact investing strategy.

If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including: (i) restrictions on the nature of our investments; and (ii) restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to carry out our planned impact investing strategy.

In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including: (X) registration as an investment company with the SEC; (Y) adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and (Z) reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations that we are currently not subject to.

If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to carry out our impact investing strategy.

In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will include identifying and completing business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.

We do not believe that our principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act.

Risks Related to our Common Stock

Our common stock is illiquid and the price of our common stock may be negatively impacted by any negative operational results and factors unrelated to our operations.

Our common stock is quoted on the OTC and trading on the OTC is frequently highly volatile, with low trading volume. We have experienced significant fluctuations in the price and trading volume of our common stock, which may be caused by factors relating to our business and operational results and/or factors unrelated to the Company, including general market conditions. An active market for our common stock may never develop, in which case it could be difficult for stockholders to sell their common stock. The market price of our common stock could continue to fluctuate substantially.

Trading of our stock is restricted by the SEC’s “penny stock” regulations and certain FINRA rules, which may limit a stockholder’s ability to buy and sell our common stock.

Our securities are covered by certain “penny stock” rules, which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell low-priced securities to persons other than established customers and accredited investors. For transactions covered by these rules, a broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination for the purchaser and have received the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction prior to sale, among other things. These rules may affect the ability of broker-dealers and holders to sell our common stock and may negatively impact the level of trading activity for our common stock. To the extent our common stock remains subject to the penny stock regulations, such regulations may discourage investor interest in and adversely affect the market liquidity of our common stock.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has adopted rules that require a broker-dealer, when recommending an investment to a customer, to have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer. Prior to recommending speculative low-priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA believes that there is a high probability that speculative low-priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. FINRA requirements make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our common stock, which may limit an investor’s ability to buy and sell our common stock and could have an adverse effect on the market for our shares.

If we issue and sell additional shares of our common stock in the future, our existing stockholders will be diluted and our stock price could fall.

Our articles of incorporation authorize the issuance of up to 1,000,000,000 shares of common stock, of which, as of March 30, 2023, 78,116,814 shares were outstanding and 37,905,879 shares were reserved for issuance under our stock incentive plan and other outstanding options or warrants. As a result, we have a large number of shares of common stock that are authorized for issuance that are not outstanding or otherwise reserved, and could be issued at the discretion of our Board of Directors. We expect to seek additional financing in the future in order to fund our operations, and if we issue additional shares of common stock or securities convertible into common stock, our existing stockholders will be diluted. Our Board of Directors may also choose to issue shares of our common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for our common stock to acquire assets or companies, for compensation to employees, officers, directors, consultants and advisors, to fund capital expenditures and to enter into strategic partnerships. Additionally, shares of common stock could be issued for anti-takeover purposes or to delay or prevent changes in control or management of the Company. Our Board of Directors may determine to issue shares of our common stock on terms that our stockholders do not believe enhance stockholder value, or that may ultimately have an adverse effect on our business or the trading price of our common stock. Further, the issuance of any such shares may cause further dilution to the ownership interest of our current stockholders, reduce the book value per share of our common stock and may contribute to a reduction in the market price for our common stock.

Our principal stockholders and management own a significant percentage of our stock and will be able to exert significant control over matters subject to stockholder approval.

Certain of our executive officers, directors and stockholders own a significant percentage of our outstanding capital stock. As of March 30, 2023, our executive officers, directors, holders of 5% or more of our capital stock and their respective affiliates beneficially owned approximately 55.6% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, our directors, executive officers and certain stockholders have significant influence over our affairs due to their substantial stock ownership coupled with their positions on our management team. For example, these stockholders may be able to control or influence elections of directors, amendments of our organizational documents, or approval of any merger, sale of assets, or other major corporate transaction. This concentration of ownership may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our common stock that some of our stockholders may believe is in their best interest.

We are subject to the reporting requirements of federal securities laws, compliance with which involves significant time, expense and expertise.

We are a public reporting company and are subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and other federal securities laws, including the obligations imposed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The ongoing costs associated with preparing and filing annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC in the ordinary course, as well as preparing and filing audited financial statements, are significant and may cause unexpected increases in operational expenses. Our present management team is relatively small and may be unable to manage the ongoing costs and compliance effectively. It may be time consuming, difficult and costly for us to hire additional financial reporting, accounting and other finance staff in order to build and retain a management team with adequate expertise and experience in operating a public company.

We have never paid dividends on our capital stock, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

The continued operation and expansion of our business will require substantial funding. We have paid no cash dividends on any of our capital stock to date and we currently intend to retain our available cash to fund the development and growth of our business. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon our results of operations, financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our Board of Directors deems relevant. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any return to stockholders will therefore be limited to the appreciation of their stock, which may never occur.