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BTAI US Equity

BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc.Health Care · Pharmaceutical Preparations · CIK 1720893 · FY ends Dec 31
$0.83
+0.04 (+4.46%)
USD · as of 2026-08-19 · marketstack

BTAI · 10-K · period ended 2020-12-31

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filed 2021-03-12 · EDGAR original ↗

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with “Selected Financial Data” and our financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this report. In addition to historical information, this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results may differ materially from those discussed below. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below, and those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. All dollar amounts in the below Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations are presented in U.S. dollars, and all dollar amounts are presented in thousands, unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise provides.

Overview

We are a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing artificial intelligence approaches to develop transformative medicines in neuroscience and immuno-oncology. Our drug re-innovation approach leverages existing approved drugs and/or clinically validated product candidates together with big data and proprietary machine learning algorithms to identify new therapeutic indices. We believe that this differentiated approach has the potential to reduce the cost and time of drug development in diseases with a substantial unmet medical need.

Our two most advanced clinical development programs are BXCL501, a proprietary, orally dissolving, sublingual thin film formulation of the adrenergic receptor agonist dexmedetomidine (“Dex”), for the treatment of agitation resulting from neuropsychiatric disorders, and BXCL701, an investigational orally administered systemic innate immune activator for the treatment of a rare form of prostate cancer and advanced solid tumors that are refractory or treatment naïve to checkpoint inhibitors.

During the first quarter ended March 31, 2020, and continuing through December 31, 2020, the novel coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, was declared a pandemic and spread to multiple regions across the globe, including the United States and Europe. The outbreak and government measures taken in response have had a significant impact, both direct and indirect, on businesses and commerce, as worker shortages have occurred; supply chains have been disrupted; facilities and production have been suspended; and demand for certain goods and services, such as medical services and supplies, has spiked, while demand for other goods and services, such as travel, has fallen.

Throughout 2020, we took steps in line with guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) and the State of Connecticut to protect the health and safety of our employees and the community. In particular, we implemented a work-from-home policy for all employees and have restricted on-site activities to certain chemical, manufacturing and control (“CMC”) and clinical trial activities. We continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to best mitigate risk and continue the operations of our business. Beginning late in the second quarter of 2020, we began to slowly bring our staff, in very limited numbers, back to our office. This modified return-to-work approach is expected to continue into 2021. We have taken steps to protect our workforce and have instituted strict work rules to protect our employees.

We continue to work closely with our clinical sites to monitor the potential impact of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. We remain committed to our clinical programs and development plans. Through December 31, 2020, we have not experienced any significant delays to our ongoing or planned clinical trials, except for challenges in accessing elderly care facilities; however, this could rapidly change.

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Our Clinical Programs

The following is a summary of the status of our clinical development programs as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

Our Novel Drug Re-Innovation Approach

Our AI-based discovery and development process is the foundation of our drug re-innovation model for identifying the next wave of medicines. Our therapeutic area experts have over 60 years of experience across the drug discovery and development value chain. We believe EvolverAI is a novel method of finding potential product candidates because it combines the comprehensiveness and efficiency of machine learning and big data analytics with the expertise and intuition of human experience in drug development. We believe the combination of our therapeutic area expertise and our ability to generate therapeutic candidates in neuroscience and immuno-oncology through our exclusive collaborative relationship in those areas with BioXcel gives us a significant competitive advantage.

The pharmacological space spans more than 27,000 active pharmaceutical agents, and only approximately 4,000 are approved and marketed drugs benefiting patients. These marketed drugs may be applied to other indications, including rare diseases, and represent an untapped potential for meeting significant unmet medical need and recoupment of research and development investments. A large number of the remaining agents are clinical candidates that are active, shelved, or have failed for reasons other than toxicity and can potentially be re-engineered for different indications or patient segments. They potentially represent an unrealized investment of billions of research and development dollars by the private and public sectors, resulting in an immeasurable amount of patient suffering and sacrificing during clinical development.

Traditional drug development is plagued with low success rates (13.8%, according to an MIT study of 186,000 trials from January 2000 to October 2015), long drug development cycles (10-15 years, according to PhRMA Key Facts 2016), and exorbitant development costs ($2.6 billion per drug, according to PhRMA Key Facts). Furthermore, many serious diseases continue to go unaddressed due to limitations of the current drug discovery paradigm. The recent advent of numerous ‘omics’ technologies (genomics, proteomics) and rapid advances in science and medicine are generating terabytes of valuable unexploited knowledge that is widely distributed in multiple big data lakes with several orders of complexity and variety. Much of this data is not being systematically applied to the development of next generation therapeutics, thus preventing the optimization of drug development utilizing the understanding of technology, science, medicine, markets, and commercial opportunities. The efficient and intuitive use of big data remains a bottleneck and a challenge to the pharmaceutical industry. Taken together, these factors underscore the need for fundamental new

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approaches to drug discovery and development. The market opportunity to identify new uses for existing pharmacological agents remains substantial due to the lack of technology driven insights. Our parent, BioXcel, has created a proprietary R&D engine, EvolverAI, for drug re-innovation that provides a proprietary systems-based approach designed to unlock the hidden value in drugs. The combination of our therapeutic area expertise and our exclusive collaborative relationship with BioXcel enables us to screen, analyze, and identify the product candidates that we believe have a high likelihood of benefiting patients. The compounds in our pipeline have been identified using this proprietary platform.

EvolverAI is designed to eliminate human bias by scanning millions of data points from disparate data sources to create network maps. The nodes and connections in the network map are weighted and ranked based on the validity of supporting evidence using disease specific algorithms. They are then further analyzed using artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches supplemented by human domain-based expertise to uncover novel connections between disease parameters, molecular targets, mechanisms of actions and product candidates.

This drug re-innovation model has been exemplified by the successful development and commercialization of drugs such as Tecfidera (Biogen, Inc.), Thalomid (Celgene Corporation) and Viagra (Pfizer, Inc., or Pfizer). All of these drugs were identified by insights in biology and disease pathophysiology. The successful business models of biotech companies like Axsome-Therapeutics, Inc. and Karuna Therapeutics, Inc. are based on the re-innovation and combination of existing clinical candidates or marketed drugs to provide novel solutions for patients. Unfortunately, such discoveries have been severely limited in scope due to the lack of a genuinely integrated big data analytics-based approach.

We believe that only EvolverAI allows a comprehensive and unbiased evaluation of the complete pharmacological space. We believe our drug re-innovation model and exclusive collaborative relationship with BioXcel has the potential to reduce the cost and time of drug development, help us design more efficient trials, and accelerate our product candidates’ time to market. This assumption is based on capitalizing product candidates with substantial clinical data and mitigated risk due to well-defined safety profiles, known PK/PD properties, and an established manufacturing and regulatory path. Our approach is illustrated below:

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Basis of Presentation

The Company’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”). All amounts are presented in thousands.

Components of Our Results of Operations

Revenues

We have not recognized any revenue since inception.

Operating Costs and Expenses

Research and Development

Our research and development expenses reflect costs incurred for the research and development of our clinical and pre-clinical product candidates, which includes payments to BioXcel, our Parent. Research and development expense primarily consist of salary, benefits and non-cash stock-based compensation for our research and development personnel, costs incurred under agreements with contract research organizations (“CROs”) and sites that conduct our non-clinical studies and clinical trials, costs of outside consultants engaged in research and development activities, including their fees, stock-based compensation and travel expenses, the cost of acquiring, developing and manufacturing pre-clinical and clinical trial materials and lab supplies, and depreciation and other expenses.

We expense research and development costs to operations as incurred.

Our research and development costs by program for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 are as follows:

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Other research and development programs ​ 1,756 ​ ​ 708

Research and development support services ​ 3,083 ​ ​ 1,602

Total research and development expenses ​ $ 57,995 ​ $ 25,797

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses primarily consist of salaries, benefits and non-cash stock-based compensation for our executive and administrative personnel. General and administrative expenses also include legal expenses to pursue patent protection of our intellectual property, professional fees for audit and tax and insurance charges.

We expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase as we expand our clinical programs. We also expect increased administrative costs resulting from our clinical trials and the potential commercialization of our product candidates. We believe that these increases will likely include increased costs for director and officer liability insurance, hiring additional personnel to support future market research and future product commercialization efforts and increased fees for outside consultants, attorneys and accountants. We may also incur increased costs to comply with corporate governance, internal controls, investor relations and disclosures and similar requirements applicable to public companies.

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Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

A description of recently issued accounting pronouncements that may potentially impact our financial position and results of operations is set forth in Note 3 to the financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019

Revenues

We have not recognized any revenues since inception.

Research and Development Expense

Research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 were $57,995 and $25,797, respectively. Research and development expenses for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 were comprised as follows:

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ Year Ended ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ December 31, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Professional research & project related costs ​ 7,106 ​ 5,486 ​ 1,620 ​ ​ 30 %

Drug acquisition costs ​ ​ — ​ ​ 1,000 ​ ​ (1,000) ​ ​ (100) %

Research and development tax credit ​ ​ (543) ​ ​ — ​ ​ (543) ​ ​ (100) %

The increase of $32,198 for the year ended December 31, 2020 is primarily attributable to:

Personnel and related costs increased due to our efforts to enlarge our clinical teams as we expanded our clinical programs during the quarter and in preparation of the potential commercial launch of BXCL501 in the U.S.

Non-cash stock-based compensation also increased as result of the additional personnel hired during the year and increased grant date fair values arising from higher market prices of the Company’s common stock.

The increase in professional research & project related costs and clinical trials expense reflect the broadening of research and development activities and is primarily related to our SERENITY I and II clinical trials as well as increased costs associated with our TRANQUILITY and RELEASE clinical trials for BXCL501 and our Phase II study of BXCL701 for the treatment of prostate cancer. These amounts were offset by reduced costs related to our BXCL501 Phase Ib schizophrenia trial and our BXCL701 pancreatic cancer trial.

The increase in CMC costs is a result of an increase in manufacturing of BXCL501, packaging and storage costs and a larger volume of purchases of Keytruda to support our oncology program.

Drug acquisition costs incurred during the year ended December 31, 2019 related to a payment due pursuant to our Amended and Restated Asset Contribution Agreement with our Parent as discussed in Note 5 to the financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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The State of Connecticut provides companies with the opportunity to exchange certain research and development credit carryforwards for cash in exchange for foregoing the carryforward of the research and development credit. The program provides for such exchange of the research and development credit at a rate of 65% of the annual research and development credit. The benefit for such exchange is recorded as a reduction of research and development expenditures.

General and Administrative Expense

General and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 were $24,302 and $7,804, respectively. General and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 were comprised as follows:

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ Year Ended ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ December 31, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

The increase of $16,498 for the year ended December 31, 2020 is primarily attributable to:

Increased personnel and related costs due to our continuing efforts to expand our teams in preparation of the potential commercial launch of BXCL501 in the U.S.

Non-cash stock-based compensation also increased as result of the additional personnel and increased grant date fair values arising from higher market prices of the Company’s common stock.

Professional and consulting fees increased due to the expanding growth of our operations and was primarily related to increased corporate legal and investor relations fees, increased market research fees, and increased costs related to our preparation for the potential commercial launch of BXCL501 in the U.S. Insurance costs also increased primarily related to an increase in Director and Officer liability premiums.

In September 2020, we were the victim of an email-based wire fraud, which led to a misappropriation of approximately $1,927. We subsequently recovered $774 of this amount and are continuing efforts to recoup the remainder of the funds. As such, $1,153 is included in Travel and other costs. In February 2021, we received an additional $250 in insurance proceeds, which will partially offset the loss.

Inflation

Inflation generally affects us by increasing our cost of labor and clinical trial costs. We do not believe that inflation has had a material effect on our results of operations during the periods presented.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2020, we had cash and cash equivalents of $213,119, working capital of $205,223 and stockholders’ equity of $206,696. Net cash used in operating activities was $66,350 and $27,101 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. We incurred losses of approximately $82,169 and $32,968 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. We have not yet generated any revenues and we have not yet achieved profitability. We expect that our research and development and general and administrative expenses will continue to increase and, as a result, we will need to generate significant product revenues to achieve profitability. We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2020 will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least one year from the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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We may obtain additional financing through sales of the Company’s equity securities, entering into strategic partnership arrangements and/or short-term borrowings from banks, stockholders or other related parties, if needed, or a combination of any of the foregoing. There are no assurances that we will be successful in obtaining an adequate level of financing as and when needed to finance our operations on terms acceptable to us or at all, particularly in light of the economic downturn and ongoing uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic. If we are unable to secure adequate additional funding as and when needed, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development and commercialization of one or more product candidates. In addition, the magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our liquidity and future funding requirements is uncertain as of the filing date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as the pandemic continues to evolve globally. See “Risk Factors—The outbreak of COVID-19, or other pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease may materially and adversely impact our business, including our preclinical studies and clinical trials.” in Part I, Item 1A. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a further discussion of the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business.

Sources of Liquidity

We have focused our efforts on raising capital and building the products in our pipeline. Since our inception, our operations have been financed primarily by our Parent, BioXcel, and from proceeds from the sale of equity securities. Through December 31, 2020, we have received approximately $353,337 in aggregate gross proceeds from stock issuances including our initial public offering, private placements of our common stock, and registered offerings of our common stock and an Open Market Sale Agreement (“ATM Program”). We have not yet established an ongoing source of revenue sufficient to cover our operating costs and will need to do so in future periods.

In May 2019, we entered into an Open Market Sale Agreement, or the Sale Agreement, with Jefferies LLC, or Jefferies, pursuant to which we could offer and sell up to $20,000 of our common stock, from time to time, through an “at the market offering” program under which Jefferies would act as sales agent. From May 2019 to September 2019, we sold a total of 66,193 shares for gross proceeds of $737 and net proceeds of $387. We terminated the Sale Agreement on September 22, 2019.

In September 2019, we sold in a registered offering 2,303 shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $8.25 per share for gross proceeds of $19,000 less underwriting discounts and commissions. We received net proceeds of $17,423.

In February 2020, we sold in a registered offering 2,300 shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $32.00 per share for gross proceeds of $73,600 less underwriting discounts and commissions. We received net proceeds of approximately $68,811.

We received funds under the Paycheck Protection Program of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) in April 2020 in the amount of $537. On April 23, 2020 the Small Business Administration issued a new FAQ #31, which provided guidance on what it means to certify that: “current economic uncertainty makes this loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations of the Applicant.” Following review of this new FAQ #31 we decided to withdraw from the Paycheck Protection Program and have repaid the loan in full together with all accrued interest.

In July 2020, we sold in a registered offering 4,000 shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $50.00 per share for gross proceeds of $200,000 less underwriting discounts and commissions. We received net proceeds of approximately $186,974.

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Cash Flows

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ Year Ended December 31,

Cash provided by (used in) in thousands: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Investing activities ​ (316) ​ (870)

Operating Activities

Cash used in operating activities was $66,350 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and was primarily attributable to our $82,169 net loss, partially offset by $14,611 in stock-based compensation and a $3,033 increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses. This amount was partially offset by a $2,013 increase prepaid expenses and other assets.

Cash used in operating activities was $27,101 for the year ended December 31, 2019 and was primarily attributable to our $32,968 net loss, partially offset by $3,142 in stock-based compensation, $156 of depreciation and amortization and a $3,759 increased in accounts payable and accrued expenses. This amount was partially offset by a $1,190 increase in prepaid expenses.

Investing Activities

Cash used in investing activities was $316 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and was attributable to the purchase of equipment and leasehold improvements.

Cash used in investing activities was $870 for the year ended December 31, 2019 and was attributable to the purchase of equipment.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was $247,359 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and was primarily attributable to the net proceeds of $68,811 from our February 2020 offering combined with net proceeds of $186,974 from our July 2020 offering. Additionally, we received $598 in proceeds from the exercise of stock options. This amount was partially offset by $9,024 used for the purchase and cancellation of 300,000 shares of common stock owned by BioXcel in February 2020.

Net cash provided by financing activities was $17,810 for the year ended December 31, 2019 and was primarily attributable to the net proceeds of $17,423 from our September 2019 Offering combined with net proceeds of $387 under our former ATM Program.

Operating Capital and Capital Expenditure Requirements

We expect to continue to incur significant and increasing operating losses at least for the next several years as we expand our clinical trials of BXCL501 and BXCL701, seek marketing approval for our product candidates and pursue development of our other product candidates. We do not expect to generate revenue unless and until we successfully complete development and obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year, depending on the timing of our planned clinical trials and our expenditures on other research and development activities.

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We have based our projections of operating capital requirements on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect and we may use all of our available capital resources sooner than we expect. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products, we are unable to estimate the exact amount of our operating capital requirements. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially as we:

•continue our clinical development of BXCL501 and BXCL701;

•conduct additional research and development with our product candidates;

•seek to identify, acquire, license, develop and commercialize additional product candidates;

•integrate acquired technologies into a comprehensive regulatory and product development strategy;

•maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio;

•hire scientific, clinical, quality control and administrative personnel;

•seek regulatory approvals for any product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;

•continue to operate as a public company.

We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2020 will be sufficient to enable us to fund operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months from the date of the issuance of the financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and will be sufficient to fund our ongoing research and development efforts and commercialization preparation into 2022. We expect that we will need to obtain substantial additional funding in order to fund our operations. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities, the ownership interests of our existing stockholders may be materially diluted and the terms of these securities could include liquidation or other preferences that could adversely affect the rights of our existing stockholders. In addition, debt financing, if available, would result in increased fixed payment obligations and may involve agreements that include restrictive covenants that limit our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends, that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we could be forced to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of BXCL501, BXCL701 or other product candidates, seek collaborators at an earlier stage than otherwise would be desirable or on terms that are less favorable than might otherwise be available, and relinquish or license, potentially on unfavorable terms, our rights to BXCL501, BXCL701 or other product candidates that we otherwise would seek to develop or commercialize ourselves.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of our financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to exercise its judgment. We exercise considerable judgment with respect to establishing sound accounting policies and in making estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of our assets and liabilities, our recognition of revenues and expenses, and disclosure of commitments and contingencies at the date of the financial statements.

On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments. We base our estimates and judgments on a variety of factors including our historical experience, knowledge of our business and industry, current and expected economic conditions, the attributes of our products, the regulatory environment, and in certain cases, the results of outside appraisals. We periodically re-evaluate our estimates and assumptions with respect to these judgments and modify our approach when circumstances indicate that modifications are necessary.

While we believe that the factors we evaluate provide us with a meaningful basis for establishing and applying sound accounting policies, we cannot guarantee that the results will always be accurate. Since the determination of these estimates requires the exercise of judgment, actual results could differ from such estimates.

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A description of significant accounting policies that require us to make estimates and assumptions in the preparation of our financial statements is as follows:

Stock-based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718, “Compensation—Stock Compensation,” which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense based on estimated fair market values for all share-based awards made to employees and non-employee service providers, including stock options. The Company’s 2017 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”) became effective in August 2017. The Company’s 2020 Incentive Award Plan (the “2020 Plan”) became effective in May 2020. Following the effective date of the Company’s 2020 Plan, the Company ceased granting awards under the 2017 Plan; however the terms and conditions of the 2017 Plan continue to govern any outstanding awards granted thereunder.

The Company’s stock option awards are valued at fair value on the date of grant and that fair value is recognized over the requisite service period. The Company utilizes the Black-Scholes option pricing model for determining the estimated fair value for stock-based awards. The Black-Scholes model requires the use of assumptions which determine the fair value of the stock-based awards. Determining the fair value of stock-based awards at the grant date requires significant judgment, including estimating the expected term of the stock options, the expected volatility of our stock and expected dividends. Prior to the IPO, significant judgement and estimates were used to estimate the fair value of these awards, as the shares of common stock underlying these awards were not then publicly traded. Stock awards granted by the Company subsequent to its IPO are valued using market prices at the date of grant. The Company has elected to account for forfeitures as they occur, by reversing compensation cost when the award is forfeited.

The Company adopted FASB ASU 2018-07 as of January 1, 2019 which allowed non-employee options to be expensed using the adoption date fair value.

Accrued Expenses

As part of the process of preparing our financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued expenses. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with our applicable personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of actual cost. The majority of our service providers invoice us monthly in arrears for services performed. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in our financial statements based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. We periodically confirm the accuracy of our estimates with the service providers and make adjustments if necessary.

We base our expenses on our estimates of the services received and level of effort in each period. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. Payments under some of these contracts depend on factors such as the successful enrollment of patients and the completion of clinical trial milestones.

In accruing expenses, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. The date on which some services commence, the level of services performed on or before a given dates and the cost of such services are often subjective determinations. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from our estimate, we adjust the accrual accordingly. Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, our understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and may result in us reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period.

Income Taxes

We use an asset and liability approach for financial accounting and reporting of income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on temporary differences between financial reporting and tax basis assets and liabilities and are measured by applying enacted rates and laws to taxable years in which differences are expected to be recovered or

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settled. Further, the effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that the rate changes. A valuation allowance is required when it is “more likely than not” that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized.

We apply the provisions of ASC 740, Income Taxes, which prescribes a comprehensive model for how a company should recognize, measure, present and disclose in its financial statements uncertain tax positions that the company has taken or expects to take on a tax return, including a decision whether to file or not file a return in a particular jurisdiction. Our financial statements reflect expected future tax consequences of such positions presuming the taxing authorities’ full knowledge of the position and all relevant facts.

We do not have any unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2020. We review all tax positions to ensure the tax treatment selected is sustainable based on its technical merits and that the position would be sustained if challenged.

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

In August 2018, the Company entered into an agreement to lease approximately 11,040 square feet of space on the 12th floor of the building located at 555 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, Connecticut (the “12th Floor Lease) which was effective February 22, 2019. The 12th Floor Lease expires in February 2026.

In August 2020, the Company entered into an amendment to the 12th Floor Lease wherein the Company leased an additional 7,245 square feet of space on the 12th floor of the building located at 555 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, Connecticut (the “12th Floor Lease Amendment”). The 12th Floor Lease Amendment expires in February 2026.

The following table summarizes our contractual obligations related our 12th Floor Lease and the 12th Floor Lease Amendment at December 31, 2020 and the effect such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flow in future periods:

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ Payments due by Period

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Less Than ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ More Than

​ ​ ​ Total ​ ​ 1 year ​ ​ 1-3 years ​ ​ 3-5 years ​ ​ 5 years

For additional details, see “Note 12 to Financial Statements – Leases.”

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2020 or 2019, as defined under SEC rules.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Interest Rate Risk. As of December 31, 2020, we had $213,119 cash and cash equivalents. Our cash and cash equivalents is primarily held in U.S. Government money market funds. We do not participate in any foreign currency hedging activities and we do not have any other derivative financial instruments. We did not recognize any significant exchange rate losses during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

We do not believe that our cash and cash equivalents have significant risk of default or illiquidity. While we believe our cash and cash equivalents does not contain excessive risk, we cannot provide absolute assurance that in the future our investments will not be subject to adverse changes in market value. In addition, we maintain significant amounts of cash at one or more financial institutions that are in excess of federally insured limits.

Capital Market Risk. We currently have no product revenues and depend on funds raised through other sources. One source of funding is through future debt or equity offerings. Our ability to raise funds in this manner depends upon, among other things, capital market forces affecting our stock price, and on the state of the capital markets generally.

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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

The financial statements required to be filed pursuant to this Item 8 are appended to this Annual Report on Form 10-K and incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, respectively), evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2020. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.

Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2020, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures are effective at the reasonable assurance level.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act.

In September 2020, we were the victim of an email-based wire fraud which involved two electronic communications impersonating one of our vendors, resulting in our sending wires totaling $1.9 million to accounts controlled by the impersonator. As a result of the foregoing, we identified a material weakness due to our internal controls having not been adequately designed to prevent or timely detect unauthorized cash disbursements. Specifically, certain members within our finance organization failed to exercise appropriate skepticism and oversight for disbursement of Company-owned funds, and our cash disbursement process was not adequately designed to identify unauthorized payment requests. We do not believe that this breach had a material adverse effect on our business.

Management took immediate action to remediate the material weakness, including enhancing and formalizing cash disbursement controls to prevent and timely detect unauthorized cash disbursements and significantly enhancing our information technology infrastructure and security measures. We have also added additional members to the finance and information technology teams with greater experience in the area of internal controls and security. Management has concluded that the material was remediated during the fourth quarter of 2020 and, based on management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the criteria set forth in “Internal Control–Integrated Framework (2013)” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, concluded that, as of December 31, 2020, our internal control over financial reporting was effective.

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Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm

This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm on internal control over financial reporting due to an exemption established by the JOBS Act for “emerging growth companies.”

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Except for the remediation efforts described above taken to address the material weakness, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the three months ended December 31, 2020 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 9B. Other Information

None.

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PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the information that will be contained in our proxy statement related to our annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2021 (the “2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders”), which we intend to file with the SEC within 120 days of the year ended December 31, 2020.

Item 11. Executive Compensation

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the information that will be contained in our proxy statement related to the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we intend to file with the SEC within 120 days of the year ended December 31, 2020.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the information that will be contained in our proxy statement related to the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we intend to file with the SEC within 120 days of the year ended December 31, 2020.​

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the information that will be contained in our proxy statement related to the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we intend to file with the SEC within 120 days of the year ended December 31, 2020.​

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the information that will be contained in our proxy statement related to the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we intend to file with the SEC within 120 days of the year ended December 31, 2020.​

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PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

(a) The following documents are filed as part of this report:

(1) Financial Statements:

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-1

Statements of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 F-3

Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 F-5

Notes to Financial Statements F-6

(2) Financial Statement Schedules:

All financial statement schedules have been omitted because they are not applicable, not required or the information required is shown in the financial statements or the notes thereto.

(3) Exhibits.

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21.1 ​ Subsidiaries of BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ *

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23.1 ​ Consent of BDO USA, LLP ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ *

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101.INS ​ XBRL Instance Document ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ *

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101.SCH ​ XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ *

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101.LAB ​ XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ *

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† Indicates a management contract or any compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.

^ Portions of this exhibit have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(10)(iv) of Regulation S-K.

# Confidential treatment has been granted for portions omitted from this exhibit and those portions have been separately filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

* Filed herewith.

** Furnished herewith.

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary

Not applicable

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SIGNATURES

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

​ BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc.

​ ​

​ /s/ Vimal Mehta

​ Vimal Mehta

​ Chief Executive Officer

​ (Principal Executive Officer)

​ ​

​ /s/ Richard Steinhart

​ Richard Steinhart, Chief Financial Officer

​ (Principal Financial Officer)

Signature Title Date

​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​/s/ JUNE BRAYJune Bray Director March 12, 2021

​/s/ SANDEEP LAUMASSandeep Laumas, M.D. ​ ​Director ​ ​March 12, 2021

​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​/s/ KRISHNAN NANDABALANKrishnan Nandabalan, Ph.D. Director March 12, 2021

​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​/s/ MICHAL VOTRUBAMichal Votruba ​ Director ​ March 12, 2021

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Shareholders and Board of Directors

BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc.

New Haven, CT

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2020, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2020, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ BDO USA, LLP

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2017.

Stamford, Connecticut

March 12, 2021

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BIOXCEL THERAPEUTICS, INC.

BALANCE SHEETS

(amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ December 31, ​ December 31,

ASSETS ​ ​

Current assets ​ ​

Prepaid expenses and other current assets ​ 3,946 ​ 1,681

Property and equipment, net ​ 1,273 ​ 1,041

Operating lease right-of-use asset ​ ​ 1,511 ​ ​ 1,193

Other assets ​ ​ 87 ​ ​ 51

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY ​ ​

Current liabilities ​ ​

Other current liabilities ​ ​ 237 ​ ​ 331

Long-term portion of operating lease liability ​ ​ 1,398 ​ 1,029

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Commitments and contingencies (Note 13) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Stockholders' equity ​ ​

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity ​ $ 219,936 ​ $ 36,392

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

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BIOXCEL THERAPEUTICS, INC.

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ Year Ended December 31,

Revenues ​ $ — ​ $ —

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Operating expenses ​ ​

Other income (expense) ​ ​

Dividend and interest income ​ 155 ​ 653

Interest expense ​ ​ (27) ​ ​ (20)

Net loss per share - basic and diluted ​ $ (3.79) ​ $ (2.02)

Weighted average shares outstanding - basic and diluted ​ 21,683 ​ 16,289

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

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BIOXCEL THERAPEUTICS, INC.

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(amounts in thousands)

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Additional ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ Common Stock ​ Paid in ​ Accumulated ​ ​ ​

​ Shares Amount Capital Deficit Total

Stock-based compensation ​ — ​ ​ — ​ ​ 3,142 ​ ​ — ​ ​ 3,142

Exercise of stock options ​ 55 ​ ​ — ​ ​ 22 ​ ​ — ​ ​ 22

Stock-based compensation ​ — ​ ​ — ​ ​ 14,611 ​ ​ — ​ ​ 14,611

Exercise of stock options ​ 330 ​ ​ — ​ ​ 598 ​ ​ — ​ ​ 598

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

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BIOXCEL THERAPEUTICS, INC.

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(amounts in thousands)

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ Year ended December 31,

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES: ​ ​

Reconciliation of net loss to net cash used in operating activities ​ ​

Depreciation and amortization ​ 188 ​ 156

Stock-based compensation expense ​ 14,611 ​ 3,142

Changes in operating assets and liabilities: ​ ​

Prepaid expenses, other assets and right of use assets ​ (2,013) ​ (1,190)

Net cash used in operating activities ​ (66,350) ​ (27,101)

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES: ​ ​

Purchases of equipment and leasehold improvements ​ (316) ​ (870)

Net cash used in investing activities ​ (316) ​ (870)

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES: ​ ​

Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of issuance costs ​ 255,785 ​ 17,810

Purchase and cancellation of shares from BioXcel Corporation ​ (9,024) ​ —

Exercise of options ​ 598 ​ 22

Net cash provided by financing activities ​ 247,359 ​ 17,832

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents ​ 180,693 ​ (10,139)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of the period ​ 32,426 ​ 42,565

Cash and cash equivalents, end of the period ​ $ 213,119 ​ $ 32,426

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Supplemental cash flow information: ​ ​

Interest paid ​ $ 27 ​ $ 62

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

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BIOXCEL THERAPEUTICS, INC.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

Note 1. Nature of the Business

BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on drug development that utilizes artificial intelligence to identify improved therapies in neuroscience and immuno-oncology. BTI's drug re-innovation approach leverages existing approved drugs and/or clinically validated product candidates together with big data and proprietary machine learning algorithms to identify new therapeutic indices. BTI's two most advanced clinical development programs are BXCL501, a proprietary, orally dissolving, sublingual thin film formulation of the adrenergic receptor agonist dexmedetomidine (“Dex”), for the treatment of agitation and opioid withdrawal symptoms, and BXCL701, an orally administered, systemic innate immune activator for the treatment of aggressive forms of prostate cancer and advanced solid tumors that are refractory or treatment naïve to checkpoint inhibitors.

As used in these financial statements, unless otherwise specified or the context otherwise requires, the terms the “Company” or “BTI” refer to BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc., and “BioXcel” or “Parent” refer to BioXcel LLC and, its predecessor, BioXcel Corporation.

The Company is a minority-owned subsidiary of BioXcel and was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on March 29, 2017. The Company’s principal office is in New Haven, Connecticut.

The Company incurred losses of $82,169 and $32,968 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The Company had an accumulated deficit of $138,857 as of December 31, 2020. The Company has funded its operations primarily through the sale of equity securities.

Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior year financial information to conform to the current period presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on the reported results of operations.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19, a novel strain of coronavirus, a global pandemic. This outbreak has caused and is continuing to cause major disruptions to businesses and financial markets worldwide. This may affect the Company’s operations and those of third parties on which the Company relies, including causing disruptions in the supply of the Company’s product candidates and the conduct of current and planned preclinical and clinical studies. The Company may need to limit its operations and may experience limitations in employee resources. There are risks that the COVID-19 pandemic may be more difficult to contain than currently anticipated in which case the risks described herein could increase significantly. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the Company’s results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the coronavirus and the actions to contain the coronavirus or treat its impact, among others.

Additionally, while the potential economic impact brought by, and the duration of, the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult to assess or predict, the impact of the coronavirus on the global financial markets may reduce the Company’s ability to access capital, which could negatively impact the Company’s short-term and long-term liquidity, and the Company’s ability to complete its preclinical and clinical studies on a timely basis, or at all. The ultimate impact of COVID-19 is highly uncertain and subject to change. The Company does not yet know the full extent of potential delays or impacts on its business, financing, preclinical and clinical trial activities or the global economy as a whole. However, these effects could have a material, adverse impact on the Company’s liquidity, capital resources, operations and business and those of the third parties on which the Company relies.

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Note 2. Basis of Presentation

The Company’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”).

Note 3. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates

The Company’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of the Company’s financial statements requires it to make estimates and assumptions that impact the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses in its financial statements and the accompanying notes. Although these estimates are based on the Company’s knowledge of current events and actions it may undertake in the future, actual results may ultimately materially differ from these estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2020, and 2019, cash equivalents were comprised primarily of money market funds. Cash and cash equivalents held at financial institutions may at times exceed federally insured amounts. We believe we mitigate such risk by investing in or through major financial institutions.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated and amortized over the shorter of their remaining lease term or their estimated useful life on a straight-line basis as follows:

Equipment 3-5 years

Furniture 7 years

Leasehold improvements Lesser of life of improvement or lease term

Expenditures for maintenance and repairs which do not improve or extend the useful lives of respective assets are expensed as incurred. When assets are sold or retired, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from their respective accounts and any resulting gain or loss is include income (loss) from operations.

The Company follows the guidance provided by FASB ASC Topic 360-10, Property, Plant, and Equipment. Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to undiscounted future net cash flows expected to be generated. Impairment charges are recognized at the amount by which the carrying amount of an asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or the fair value less costs to sell.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718, “Compensation—Stock Compensation,” which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense based on estimated fair market values for all share-based awards made to employees and directors, including stock options. The Company’s 2017 Equity Incentive Plan became effective in August 2017. The Company’s 2020 Stock Plan became effective in May 2020. Following the effective date of the Company's 2020 Stock Plan, the Company ceased granting awards under the 2017 Plan, however the terms and conditions of the 2017 Plan continue to govern any outstanding awards granted thereunder.

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Both BioXcel and the Company’s stock option awards are valued at fair value on the date of grant and that fair value is recognized over the requisite service period. The estimated fair value of stock option awards was determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model on the date of grant. Significant judgment and estimates were used to estimate the fair value of these awards, as they were not publicly traded. Stock awards granted by the Company subsequent to the IPO are valued using market prices at the date of grant.

The Company adopted FASB ASU 2018-07 as of January 1, 2019 which allowed non-employee options to be expensed using the adoption date fair value.

ASC 718 requires companies to estimate the fair value of share-based awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model. The Black-Scholes option-pricing model was used as its method of determining fair value. This model is affected by the Company’s stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of subjective variables. These subjective variables include, but are not limited to, the expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards, and actual and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors. The value of the award is recognized as an expense in the statement of operations over the requisite service period. The periodic expense is then determined based on the valuation of the options. The Company has elected to account for forfeitures as they occur, by reversing compensation cost when the award is forfeited.

Research and Development Costs

Research and development expenses include wages, benefits, facilities, supplies, external services, clinical study and manufacturing costs and other expenses that are directly related to the Company’s research and development activities. At the end of the reporting period, the Company compares payments made to third party service providers to the estimated progress toward completion of the research or development objectives. Depending on the timing of payments to the service providers and the progress that the Company estimates has been made as a result of the service provided, the Company may record net prepaid or accrued expense relating to these costs. Such estimates are subject to change as additional information becomes available. The Company expenses research and development costs as incurred.

Patent Costs

Costs related to filing and pursuing patent applications are expensed as incurred as general and administrative costs as recoverability of such expenditures is uncertain.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company applies the provisions of ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” for financial assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis which requires disclosure that establishes a framework for measuring fair value. ASC 820 defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that distinguishes between (1) market participant assumptions developed based on market data obtained from independent sources, or observable inputs, and (2) an entity’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions developed based on the best information available in the circumstances, or unobservable inputs. The fair value hierarchy consists of three broad levels, which gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). ASC 820 requires that fair value measurements be classified and disclosed in one of three categories:

Level 1: Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for assets or liabilities. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to Level 1 inputs.

Level 2: Directly or indirectly observable inputs as of the reporting date through correlation with market data, including quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets and quoted prices in markets that are not active. Level 2 also includes assets and liabilities that are valued using models or other pricing methodologies that do not require significant judgment since the input assumptions used in the models, such as interest rates and volatility factors,

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are corroborated by readily observable data from actively quoted markets for substantially the full term of the financial instrument.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and reflect the use of significant management judgment. These values are generally determined using pricing models for which the assumptions utilize management’s estimates of market participant assumptions.

In determining fair value, the Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible, as well as considering counterparty credit risk in its assessment of fair value.

The carrying amounts of cash and accounts payable approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of these instruments.

Earnings (Loss) per Share

Basic earnings (loss) per share (“EPS”) is calculated in accordance with ASC 260, “Earnings Per Share,” by dividing net income or loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average common stock outstanding. Diluted EPS is calculated by adjusting weighted average common shares outstanding for the dilutive effect of common stock options and warrants. In periods in which a net loss is recorded, no effect is given to potentially dilutive securities, since the effect would be antidilutive. Securities that could potentially dilute basic EPS in the future were not included in the computation of diluted EPS because to do so would have been antidilutive.

Segment Information

The Company operates in a single segment. Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker in making decisions regarding resource allocation and assessing performance. To date, our chief operating decision maker has made such decisions and assessed performance at the company level as one segment.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic: 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity (“ASU 2020-06”). ASU No. 2020-06 simplifies the accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity, including convertible instruments and contracts on an entity’s own equity. Key provisions include (i) the removal of separation models in ASC 470-20 for convertible instruments; (ii) expanded disclosures about the terms and features of convertible instruments; (iii) removed certain conditions for equity classification; and (iv) updated earnings per share calculation with respects to convertible instruments, share settlement presumption, down round features and the earnings per share denominator. ASU No. 2020-06 is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2021, and the guidance is to be applied using the full or modified retrospective approach. Earlier adoption is permitted for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company does not expect that the adoption of ASU No. 2020-06 new guidance will have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740) which amends the existing guidance relating to the accounting for income taxes. ASU No. 2019-12 is intended to simplify the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles of accounting for income taxes and to improve the consistent application of GAAP for other areas of accounting for income taxes by clarifying and amending existing guidance. ASU No. 2019-12 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company does not expect that the adoption of ASU No. 2019-12 will have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That

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Is a Service Contract. We adopted this standard effective January 1, 2020 on a prospective basis. ASU No. 2018-15 requires that certain implementation costs for cloud computing arrangements are capitalized and amortized over the term of associated hosted cloud computing arrangement service and that capitalized implementation costs are classified in prepaid expenses and other assets. ASO No. 2018-15 also provides classification guidance on these implementation costs as well as additional quantitative and qualitative disclosures. The adoption of ASU No. 2018-15 did not have an effect on the Company’s financial statements.

Note 4. Financing Activities

In May 2019, the Company entered into an Open Market Sale Agreement (the “Sale Agreement”) with Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”) pursuant to which the Company could offer and sell shares of its common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), having an initial offering price no greater than $20.0 million (the “Shares”), from time to time, through an “at the market offering” program under which Jefferies will act as sales agent. The Company sold 66 shares under the Sale Agreement for proceeds of $387, net of issuance costs of $350. The Sale Agreement was terminated by the Company on September 22, 2019.

In September 2019, the Company entered into an underwriting agreement with several underwriters in connection with the issuance and sale by the Company in a public offering of 2,303 shares of the Company’s common stock at a public offering price of $8.25 per share, less underwriting discounts and commissions, pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-230674) and a related prospectus supplement filed with the SEC (the “September 2019 Offering”). The September 2019 Offering closed on September 30, 2019. The Company received proceeds of approximately $17,423, net of issuance costs of $1,577 from the September 2019 Offering.

In February 2020, the Company sold in a registered offering 2,300 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $32.00 per share. The Company received proceeds of $68,811, net of issuance costs of $4,789. The Company used $9,024 of the proceeds to purchase and cancel 300 shares of common stock from BioXcel.

In July 2020, the Company sold in a registered offering 4,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $50.00. The Company received proceeds of approximately $186,974, net of issuance costs of $13,026. Under the terms of the Underwriting Agreement entered into by the Company in connection with the July 2020 offering, certain stockholders of the Company granted the underwriters an option exercisable for thirty days to purchase up to an additional 600 shares of common stock at the public offering price less underwriting discounts and commissions, which was not exercised. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to fund ongoing clinical trials, commercialization preparation and for general corporate purposes.

Note 5. Transactions with BioXcel

The Company has entered into the Amended and Restated Asset Contribution Agreement, pursuant to which BioXcel agreed to contribute BioXcel’s rights, title and interest in BXCL501, BXCL701, BXCL502 and BXCL702, and all of the assets and liabilities associated in consideration for (i) 9,480 shares of our common stock, (ii) $1,000 upon completion of an initial public offering, (iii) $500 upon the later of the 12 month anniversary of an initial public offering and the first dosing of a patient in the bridging bioavailability/ bioequivalence study for the BXCL501 program, (iv) $500 upon the later of the 12 month anniversary of an initial public offering and the first dosing of a patient in the Phase 2 proof of concept open label monotherapy or combination trial with Keytruda for the BXCL701 program and (v) a one-time payment of $5,000 within 60 days after the achievement of $50,000 in cumulative net sales of any product or combination of products resulting from the development and commercialization of any one of the Candidates or a product derived therefrom. Upon the completion of the Company’s IPO in March 2018, $1,000 was charged to Research and Development costs in connection with (ii) above and was paid on April 5, 2018. The Company paid $500 to BioXcel in connection with (iii) above in April 2019. In July 2019, the Company completed the first dosing of a patient in the combination trial of BXCL701 with Keytruda, and as a result the Company paid $500 to BioXcel in connection with (iv) above in July 2019.

The Company entered into a Separation and Shared Services Agreement with BioXcel that took effect on June 30, 2017, as amended and restated, or the Services Agreement, pursuit to which services provided by BioXcel through its

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subsidiaries in India and the United States will continue indefinitely, as agreed upon by the parties. These services are primarily for drug discovery, chemical, manufacturing and controls cost, and administrative support. Service charges recorded under this agreement were $1,262 and $862 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Under the Services Agreement, the Company has an option, exercisable until March 12, 2023, to enter into a collaborative services agreement with BioXcel pursuant to which BioXcel shall perform product identification and related services for us utilizing EvolverAI. The parties are obligated to negotiate the collaborative services agreement in good faith and to incorporate reasonable market-based terms, including consideration for BioXcel reflecting a low, single-digit royalty on net sales and reasonable development and commercialization milestone payments, provided that (i) development milestones shall not exceed $10 million in the aggregate and not be payable prior to proof of concept in humans and (ii) commercialization milestones shall be based on reaching annual net sales levels, be limited to 3% of the applicable net sales level, and not exceed $30 million in the aggregate. BioXcel shall continue to make such product identification and related services available to us at least September 30, 2024.

The Company paid $9,024 in February 2020 for the purchase and subsequent cancellation of 300 shares owned by BioXcel.

Note 6. Earnings (Loss) Per Share

Basic earnings (loss) per share (“EPS”) is calculated in accordance with ASC 260, “Earnings Per Share,” by dividing net income or loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average common stock outstanding. Diluted EPS is calculated by adjusting weighted average common shares outstanding for the dilutive effect of common stock options and warrants. In periods in which a net loss is recorded, no effect is given to potentially dilutive securities, since the effect would be antidilutive. Securities that could potentially dilute basic EPS in the future were not included in the computation of diluted EPS because to do so would have been antidilutive. The calculations of basic and diluted net loss per share are as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts):

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ Year Ended

​ December 31,

Weighted-average share, in thousands (denominator) ​ ​ 21,683 ​ ​ 16,289

Basic and diluted net loss per share ​ $ (3.79) ​ $ (2.02)

Note 7. Property and Equipment, net

A summary of property and equipment is as follows:

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ December 31, December 31,

Computers and related equipment ​ $ 260 ​ $ 229

Leasehold improvements ​ ​ 650 ​ ​ 642

Work in Process ​ ​ 356 ​ ​ —

Accumulated depreciation ​ ​ (362) ​ ​ (174)

Depreciation expense was $188 and $155 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

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Note 8. Accrued Expenses

Accrued expenses consist of the following:

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Research and development expenses ​ $ 3,264 ​ $ 1,215

Accrued compensation and benefits ​ ​ 2,066 ​ ​ 1,570

Accrued professional expenses ​ 1,288 ​ 266

Accrued taxes ​ ​ 697 ​ ​ -

Other accrued expenses ​ 154 ​ 69

Note 9. Capital Structure

Authorized Capital

The Company is authorized to issue up to 10,000 preferred shares with a par value of $0.001 per share of which no shares were issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2020 and 2019.

The Company is authorized to issue up to 50,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.001 per share. The Company had 24,417 and 18,087 shares of common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

Description of Common Stock

Each share of common stock has the right to one vote. The holders of common stock are entitled to dividends when funds are legally available and when declared by the board of directors.

Note 10. Stock-Based Compensation

2017 Equity Incentive Plan

The Company’s 2017 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”) became effective in August 2017. Following the effective date of the Company's 2020 Plan (as defined below), the Company ceased granting awards under the 2017 Plan, however the terms and conditions of the 2017 Plan continue to govern any outstanding awards granted thereunder.

2020 Incentive Award Plan

The Company’s 2020 Incentive Award Plan (the “2020 Plan”) was approved and became effective at the Company’s 2020 annual meeting of Shareholders on May 20, 2020 and unless, earlier terminated by the Board of Directors, will remain in effect until March 26, 2030. The 2020 Plan originally authorized for issuance the sum of (i) 911 shares of the Company’s common stock authorized for issuance and (ii) 233 shares of the Company’s common stock, which represents the number of shares that remained available for issuance under the 2017 Plan as of immediately prior to the approval of the 2020 Plan by the Company’s shareholders. Any shares of Common Stock which, as of immediately prior to the approval of the 2020 Plan by the Company’s stockholders, were subject to awards granted under the 2017 Plan that are forfeited or lapse unexercised and are not issued under the 2017 Plan will increase the number of shares of common stock available for grant under the 2020 Plan. In addition, the number of shares available for issuance under the 2020 Plan will increase on the first day of each calendar year beginning January 1, 2021 and ending on and including January 1, 2030 by a number of shares equal to the lesser of (A) 4% of the aggregate number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding on the final day of the immediately preceding calendar year and (B) such smaller number of shares of common stock as is determined by the Board of Directors. On January 1, 2021, the shares available for issuance under the 2020 Plan increased by 977 shares.

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Options granted under the 2020 Plan have a term of ten years with the vesting schedule determined by the Board of Directors, which is generally four years.

As of December 31, 2020, there were 158 shares available to be granted under the 2020 Plan.

A summary of the status of the Company’s stock option activity for the year ended December 31, 2020 is presented below (in thousands, except per share amounts):

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ Number ​ Weighted Average

​ ​ of ​ Exercise

​ Shares Price per Share

Cancelled ​ (1) ​ $ 9.20

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Options vested and exercisable as of December 31, 2020 2,275 ​ $ 2.69

As of December 31, 2020, the intrinsic value of options outstanding was $117,298. The intrinsic value for stock options is calculated based on the difference between the exercise prices of the underlying awards and the quoted stock price of the Company’s common stock as of the reporting date.

The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 was $11,629 and $565, respectively.

The weighted average grant date fair value of options granted in 2020 and 2019 was $32.71 and $9.68, respectively.

The weighted average grant date fair value of options vested at December 31, 2020 was $2.61.

The weighted average remaining contractual life is 6.9 years for options exercisable.

Stock-Based Compensation

The fair value of options granted during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 was estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following assumptions.

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

​ ​ For the ​ For the

​ ​ Year Ended ​ Year Ended

Expected Term ​ ​ 5.50 years - 6.25 years ​ 5.50 years - 6.25 years

Risk-free rate of interest ​ ​ 0.33 % - 2.34 % ​ 1.54 % - 2.50 %

Expected dividend ​ ​ 0.0 % - 0.0 % ​ 0.0 % - 0.0 %

Prior to the Company’s IPO, it did not have a history of market prices of its common stock and, as such, volatility is estimated using historical volatilities of similar public companies. The expected term of the employee awards is estimated based on the simplified method, which calculates the expected term based upon the midpoint of the term of the award and the vesting period. The Company uses the simplified method because it does not have sufficient option exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate the expected term. The expected dividend yield is 0% as the Company has no history of paying dividends nor does management expect to pay dividends over the contractual terms of these options. The risk-free interest rates are based on the United States Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant, with maturities approximating the expected term of the stock options.

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The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense of $14,590 and $3,070 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested awards as of December 31, 2020 was $24,599 and will be recognized over the remaining vesting periods of the underlying awards. The weighted-average period over which such compensation is expected to be recognized is 1.7 years.

BioXcel Charges

BioXcel has granted stock options to Company employees under its own Equity Incentive Plan (“BioXcel Plan”). Stock-based compensation expense from the BioXcel Plan is allocated to the Company over the period over which those stock option awards vest and are based the on the percentage of time spent on Company activities compared to BioXcel activities. The BioXcel stock option awards are valued at fair value on the date of grant and that fair value is recognized over the requisite service period. The estimated fair value of these BioXcel stock option awards was determined using the Black Scholes option pricing model on the date of grant. Significant judgment and estimates were used to estimate the fair value of these awards, as they are not publicly traded.

Stock-based compensation expense, net of forfeitures, recognized by the Company in its statements of operations related to BioXcel equity awards totaled approximately $21 and $72 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Total stock-based compensation charges were approximately $14,611 and $3,142 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The Company charged $6,020 and $8,591 to research and development and general and administrative expense for the year ended December 31, 2020, respectively. The Company charged $1,791 and 1,351 to research and development and general and administrative expense for the year ended December 31, 2019, respectively.

2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

The Company’s 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”) was also approved and became effective at the Company’s 2020 annual meeting of Shareholders on May 20, 2020. The ESPP is designed to assist eligible employees of the Company with the opportunity to purchase the Company’s common stock at a discount through accumulated payroll deductions during successive offering periods. The aggregate number of Shares that may be issued pursuant to rights granted under the ESPP is 100 shares of common stock. In addition, the number of shares available for issuance under the ESPP will increase on the first day of each calendar year beginning on January 1, 2021 and ending on and including January 1, 2030 by a number of shares of common stock equal to the lesser of (a) 1% of the shares outstanding on the final day of the immediately preceding calendar year and (b) such smaller number of shares as determined by the Board. The number of shares that may be issued or transferred pursuant to rights granted under the component of the ESPP that is intended to qualify for favorable U.S. federal tax treatment under Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Section 423 Component”) shall not exceed 500 shares. The purchase price will be determined by the administrator of the ESPP and, for purposes of the Section 423 Component, shall not be less than 85% of the fair market value of a share on the first trading day or on the last trading day of the applicable offering period, whichever is lower. On January 1, 2021, the shares available for issuance under the 2020 ESPP increased by 244 shares. To date, no shares have been sold under the ESPP.

Note 11. Leases

In August 2018, the Company entered into an agreement to lease approximately 11,040 square feet of space on the 12th floor of the building located at 555 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, Connecticut (the “12th Floor Lease) which was effective February 22, 2019. The 12th Floor Lease expires in February 2026.

In August 2020, the Company entered into an amendment to the 12th Floor Lease wherein the Company leased an additional 7,245 square feet of space on the 12th floor of the building located at 555 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, Connecticut (the “12th Floor Lease Amendment”). The 12th Floor Lease Amendment expires in February 2026.

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Source: SEC EDGAR (public domain) · 10-K for the period ended 2020-12-31, filed 2021-03-12 · accession 0001558370-21-002916

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