ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Our business is subject to numerous risks. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below together with all of the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe are not material, may also become important factors that affect us. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In such event, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you might lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Capital Needs
We have incurred significant losses since our inception. We expect to incur losses over the next several years and may never achieve or maintain profitability.
We are a Delaware corporation with a limited operating history. We have funded our operations to date primarily with proceeds from private investors and the sale of our stock, including the proceeds from our initial public offering completed in September 2022 and a follow-on offering completed in July 2024 and May 2025. We have had only limited sales of our products and services to date. For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, we incurred a net loss in the amount of approximately $8,222,000 and $7,607,000, respectively. Our accumulated deficit as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, was approximately $92,867,000 and $84,645,000, respectively.
We have devoted a substantial portion of our financial resources and efforts to research and development, including preclinical studies and clinical trials. We are still in the early stages of development of our products.
We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses over the next several years. Our net losses may fluctuate substantially from quarter to quarter and year to year. We anticipate that our expenses will increase significantly as we:
● seek to discover and develop additional treatment indications;
● maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio;
● engage additional clinical, scientific, manufacturing and controls personnel;
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To become and remain profitable, we and our collaborators must succeed in developing and eventually commercializing future and existing products that generate significant revenue. This will require us to be successful in a range of challenging activities, including completing preclinical studies and clinical trials of our products and preclinical program, obtaining regulatory approval, manufacturing, marketing and selling any products for which we may obtain regulatory approval, as well as discovering and developing additional products. Again, we are only in the preliminary stages of most of these activities. We may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, may never generate revenues that are significant enough to achieve profitability.
Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of expenses or when, or if, we will be able to achieve profitability. If regulatory authorities require us to perform studies in addition to those currently expected, or if there are any delays in the initiation and completion of our clinical trials or the development of any of our products, our expenses could increase.
Even if we achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would depress the value of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, maintain our research and development efforts or continue our operations. A decline in the value of our common stock could also cause you to lose all or part of your investment.
We may not be able to continue as a going concern if we do not execute our business plan or obtain additional financing in the future if necessary.
Our independent accountant’s audit report included on this Report states that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. We have incurred only losses since our inception, raising substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Therefore, our ability to continue as a going concern is highly dependent upon us executing our business plan in the planned amount of time allotted and obtaining additional financing for our planned operations, if necessary. There can be no assurance that we will be able to raise any additional funds, or if we are able to raise additional funds, that such funds will be in the amounts required or on terms favorable to us.
Our limited operating history may make it difficult for you to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability.
We commenced active operations in 2010, and our operations to date have been largely focused on raising capital, identifying and developing our products and preclinical program, broadening our expertise in the development of our products and undertaking preclinical studies and conducting early-stage clinical trials. As a result of the FDA reclassification ruling in December 2019, we had to suspend marketing of our Gen-1 medical device for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia.
Although we have developed second- and third-Generation versions of our medical device, these have not yet been approved by the FDA for marketing or sales in the United States. Consequently, any predictions you make about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer operating history.
We may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other known or unknown factors in achieving our business objectives. We will need to transition at some point from a company with a research and development focus to a company capable of supporting commercial activities. We may not be successful in such a transition.
We expect our financial condition and operating results to continue to fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, you should not rely upon the results of any quarterly or annual periods as indications of future operating performance.
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We will require additional funding to meet our financial needs and to pursue our business objectives. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we could be forced to delay, reduce or altogether cease our product development programs or commercialization efforts.
We are currently not cash flow positive and are not certain when and if we will be cash flow positive. We incurred a net loss in the amount of approximately $8,222,000 for the year ended December 31, 2025. We will need to obtain substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations and planned activities. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:
● our ability to establish collaborations on favorable terms, if at all;
● the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our products;
● the costs of operating as a public company.
Identifying potential products and conducting preclinical testing and clinical trials is a time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we may never generate the necessary data or results required to continue our regulatory approvals and achieve product sales. In addition, our products, if approved, may not achieve commercial success. Our commercial revenues, if any, will be derived from sales of products that are cleared under FDA review. Accordingly, we will need to continue to rely on additional financing to achieve our business objectives. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, we may seek additional capital due to favorable market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on attractive terms, we could be forced to delay, reduce or altogether cease our research and development programs or future commercialization efforts.
Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or products.
Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue, we expect to finance our cash needs through equity offerings. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a stockholder. Debt financing and equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends.
If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may be required to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or products or to grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to a third party to develop and market products that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.
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Risks Related to the Development of Our Products and Preclinical Program
We depend on the success of our future products, some of which are in clinical development but have not completed advanced clinical trials. If we fail to obtain regulatory approval for and successfully commercialize one or more of our products or if we experience significant delays in doing so, we may never become profitable.
The success of our products and preclinical program will depend on several additional factors, including:
● successful completion of preclinical studies and requisite clinical trials;
● receipt of marketing approvals from applicable regulatory authorities;
● making arrangements with third parties for manufacturing capabilities;
● competing effectively with other therapies;
● obtaining and maintaining healthcare coverage and adequate reimbursement; and
● protecting our rights in our intellectual property portfolio.
If we do not achieve one or more of these factors in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays or an inability to successfully commercialize our products, which would harm our business.
Our products and product candidates may be subject to reclassification by the FDA, and a change in the classification may have an adverse impact on our revenues or our abilities to obtain necessary regulatory approvals.
Originally, our technology was cleared for the treatment of anxiety, depression and insomnia. Each treatment indication with this technology was classified as Class III from a risk tolerance standpoint at the FDA. In December of 2019, the FDA passed a new ruling that separated anxiety and insomnia from the treatment of depression. CES devices that treat anxiety and insomnia were reclassified as Class II medical devices and require special control trials to be initiated, as well as the filing of a new 510(k) application for previously approved devices. The FDA continued to classify the treatment of depression for cranial stimulation as a Class III high risk device. In order to receive approval for treatment for depression, our devices will require a new pre-market application for this indication. We have decided not to pursue a depression indication for our Gen-1 device at such time.
Any further such reclassification by the FDA of an indication from a certain class of device to another during our development or post-commercialization for that indication could have a significant adverse impact due to the more rigorous and lengthy approval process required for a higher risk class medical device. Such a change in classification can significantly increase development costs and prolong the time for development and approval, thus delaying revenues. A reclassification of an indication after approval from a certain class of device to another could result in a change in classification for reimbursement, and therefore could have a significant negative impact on our revenues.
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Success in preclinical studies or clinical trials may not be indicative of results in future clinical trials.
Success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will generate the same results or otherwise provide adequate data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of a product candidate. Our products may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy in all clinical trials.
If we experience delays or difficulties in the enrolment of patients in clinical trials, our receipt of necessary regulatory approvals could be delayed or prevented.
We may not be able to initiate, continue or complete clinical trials of any product candidate that we develop if we and our collaborators are unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these trials as required by the FDA or other comparable regulatory authority. We have limited experience enrolling patients in our clinical trials and cannot predict how successful we will be in enrolling patients in future clinical trials.
Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties
We rely on third parties to conduct clinical trials for our products, and those third parties may not perform satisfactorily, including failing to meet deadlines for the completion of such trials or failing to comply with applicable regulatory requirements.
We rely on third parties, such as research institutions and Wider, which is based in China, to conduct some of our clinical trials. Our reliance upon research institutions, including hospitals, clinics and academics, provides us with less control over the timing and cost of clinical trials and the ability to recruit subjects. If we are unable to reach agreement with suitable research institutions on acceptable terms, or if any resulting agreement is terminated, we may be unable to quickly replace the research institution with another qualified institution on acceptable terms. Even if we do replace the institution, we may incur additional costs to conduct the trial at the new institution. We may not be able to secure and maintain suitable research institutions to conduct our clinical trials.
We rely on a collaboration with a third party for the quality assurance of our products, and we may seek additional collaborations in the future. If those collaborations are not successful, we may not be able to capitalize on the market potential of these products.
We are a party to a quality assurance agreement with a third party for the quality assurance of our products and may enter into additional collaborations in the future. We are dependent upon the success of our current and any future collaborators in performing their responsibilities in connection with the relevant collaboration. If we fail to maintain these collaborative relationships for any reason, we will need to perform the activities that we currently anticipate would be performed by our collaborators on our own at our sole expense. This could substantially increase our capital needs, and we may not have the capability or financial capacity to undertake these activities on our own, or we may not be able to find other collaborators on acceptable terms, or at all. This may limit the programs we are able to pursue and result in significant delays in the development, sale and manufacture of our product candidates and products, and may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our dependence upon our current and potential future collaborations exposes us to a number of risks, including that our collaborators (i) may fail to cooperate or perform their contractual obligations, including financial obligations, (ii) may choose to undertake differing business strategies or pursue alternative technologies or (iii) may take an opposing view regarding ownership of clinical trial results or intellectual property.
Due to these factors and other possible events, we could suffer delays in the research, development or commercialization of our product candidates and future products or we may become involved in litigation or arbitration, which could be time consuming and expensive. We additionally may be compelled to split revenue with our collaborators, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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Risks Related to the Commercialization of Our Products
Even if any of our products receives marketing approval, it may fail to achieve the degree of market acceptance by healthcare providers, physicians, clinicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.
The degree of market acceptance of our products, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including:
● the efficacy and potential advantages compared to alternative treatments;
● the convenience and ease of administration compared to alternative treatments;
● the ability to manufacture our product in sufficient quantities and yields;
● the strength and effectiveness of marketing and distribution support;
● the prevalence and severity of any side effects;
● the approval of other new products for the same indications; and
Any failure by any of our existing or future products that obtain regulatory approval to achieve market acceptance or commercial success would have a material adverse effect on our business prospects.
We may eventually compete for product sales with other companies, many of which will have greater resources or capabilities than we have or may succeed in developing better products or in developing products more quickly than we do, and we may not compete successfully with them.
Our industry is competitive and has been evolving rapidly with not only existing treatment options, but also the introduction of new technologies and products as well as the market activities of industry participants. We compete or may eventually compete with other companies and organizations that are marketing or developing therapies for our targeted disease indications, based on traditional pharmaceutical, medical device, or other neurostimulation therapy and technologies.
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We also face competition in the neurostimulation field from academic institutions and governmental agencies. Many of our current and potential competitors have greater financial and human resources than we have, including more experience in research and development and more established sales, marketing and distribution capabilities.
We anticipate that competition in our industry will increase. In addition, the health care industry is characterized by rapid technological change, resulting in new product introductions and other technological advancements. Our competitors may develop and market products that render product candidates now or under development by us in the future, or any products manufactured or marketed by us, non-competitive or otherwise obsolete.
Coverage and adequate reimbursement may not be available for our current or future products, which could make it difficult for us to sell profitably, if approved.
Market acceptance and sales of any products that we commercialize, if approved, will depend in part on the extent to which reimbursement for these products and related treatments will be available from third-party payors, including government health administration authorities, managed care organizations and other private health insurers. Third-party payors decide which therapies they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels. Third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own coverage and reimbursement policies. However, decisions regarding the extent of coverage and amount of reimbursement to be provided for any products that we develop will be made on a payor-by-payor basis. One payor’s determination to provide coverage for a product does not ensure that other payors will also provide coverage and adequate reimbursement for the product. Additionally, a third-party payor’s decision to provide coverage for a therapy does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Each payor determines whether it will provide coverage for a therapy, what amount it will pay for the therapy and on what tier of its list of covered products, or formulary, it will be placed. The position on a payor’s formulary generally determines the co-payment that a patient will need to make to obtain the therapy and can strongly influence the adoption of such therapy by patients and physicians. Patients who are prescribed treatments for their conditions and providers prescribing such services generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the associated healthcare costs. Patients are unlikely to use our products, and providers are unlikely to prescribe our products, unless coverage is provided, and reimbursement is adequate to cover a significant portion of the cost of our products and their administration.
A primary trend in the U.S. healthcare industry and elsewhere is cost containment. Third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and limiting reimbursement for medications and certain treatments utilizing digital technologies. We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement will be available for any product that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, what the level of reimbursement will be. Inadequate coverage or reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the price of, any product for which we obtain marketing approval. If adequate coverage or reimbursement is not available, or are available only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our current and any future products that we develop.
Product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and to limit commercialization of any products that we may develop.
We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to the testing of our products in human clinical trials and will face an even greater risk if we commercially sell any products that we may develop. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against claims that our products or products caused injuries, we will incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:
● reduced resources of our management to pursue our business strategy;
● decreased demand for any products or products that we may develop;
● injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention;
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● withdrawal of clinical trial participants;
● initiation of investigations by regulators;
● significant costs to defend the resulting litigation;
● substantial monetary awards paid to clinical trial participants or patients;
● loss of revenue; and
● the inability to commercialize any products that we may develop.
We currently hold $2 million in product liability insurance coverage in the aggregate, with a per incident limit of $2 million, which may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur. We may need to increase our insurance coverage as we expand our clinical trials or if we commence commercialization of our products. Insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise.
Risks Related to Our Business and Managing Our Growth
Our future success depends on our ability to retain key executives and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.
Recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and clinical personnel and, if we progress the development of any of our products, commercialization, manufacturing and sales and marketing personnel, will be critical to our success. The loss of the services of our executive officers or other key employees could impede the achievement of our research, development and commercialization objectives and seriously harm our ability to successfully implement our business strategy. Furthermore, replacing executive officers and key employees may be difficult and may take an extended period because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to successfully develop, gain regulatory approval of and commercialize our products. Competition to hire from this limited pool is intense, and we may be unable to hire, train, retain or motivate these key personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous companies for similar personnel. We also experience competition for the hiring of scientific and clinical personnel from universities and research institutions. In addition, we rely on consultants and advisors, including scientific and clinical advisors, to assist us in formulating our research and development and commercialization strategy. Our consultants and advisors may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with other entities that may limit their availability to us. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high-quality personnel, our ability to pursue our growth strategy will be limited.
We expect to expand our development and regulatory capabilities and potentially implement sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, and as a result, we may encounter difficulties in managing our growth, which could disrupt our operations.
As of December 31, 2025, we had 8 full-time employees, our CMO is a consultant and we utilize varying levels of other consultants, all located in the United States. As the clinical development of our products progresses, we also expect to experience significant growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations, particularly in the areas of research, product development and regulatory affairs, including a sales and marketing team for our existing products. To manage our anticipated future growth, we must continue to implement and improve our managerial, operational and financial systems, expand our facilities and continue to recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Due to our limited financial resources and the limited experience of our management team in managing a company with such anticipated growth, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel. The expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert our management and business development resources. Any inability to manage growth could delay the execution of our business plans or disrupt our operations.
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Significant disruptions of our information technology systems or data security incidents could result in significant financial, legal, regulatory, business and reputational harm to us.
We are increasingly dependent on information technology systems and infrastructure, including mobile technologies, to operate our business. In the ordinary course of our business, we collect, store, process and transmit large amounts of sensitive information, including intellectual property, proprietary business information, personal information and other confidential information. It is critical that we do so in a secure manner to maintain the confidentiality, integrity and availability of such sensitive information. We have also outsourced elements of our operations, including elements of our information technology infrastructure, to third parties and, as a result, we manage a number of third-party vendors who may or could have access to our computer networks or our confidential information. In addition, many of those third parties in turn subcontract or outsource some of their responsibilities to other third parties. While all information technology operations are inherently vulnerable to inadvertent or intentional security breaches, incidents, attacks and exposures, the accessibility and distributed nature of our information technology systems, and the sensitive information stored on those systems, make such systems potentially vulnerable to unintentional or malicious, internal and external attacks on our technology environment. Potential vulnerabilities can be exploited from inadvertent or intentional actions of our employees, third-party vendors, or business partners or by malicious third parties. Attacks of this nature are increasing in their frequency, levels of persistence, sophistication and intensity, and are being conducted by sophisticated and organized groups and individuals with a wide range of motives (including industrial espionage) and expertise, including organized criminal groups, “hacktivists,” nation states and others. In addition to the extraction of sensitive information, such attacks could include the deployment of harmful malware, ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, social engineering and other means to affect service reliability and threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. In addition, the prevalent use of mobile devices increases the risk of data security incidents.
Significant disruptions of our third-party vendors’ information technology systems or other similar data security incidents could adversely affect our business operations and result in the loss, misappropriation and unauthorized access, use or disclosure of, or the prevention of access to, sensitive information, which could result in financial, legal, regulatory, business and reputational harm to us. In addition, information technology system disruptions, whether from attacks on our technological environment or from computer viruses, natural disasters, terrorism, war or telecommunication and electrical failures, could result in a material disruption of our development programs and our business operations. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data.
There is no way of knowing with certainty whether we have experienced any data security incidents that have not been discovered. While we have no reason to believe this to be the case, attackers have become very sophisticated in the way they conceal access to systems, and many companies that have been attacked are not aware that they have been attacked. Any event that leads to unauthorized access, use or disclosure of personal information, including personal information regarding our patients or employees, could disrupt our business, harm our reputation, compel us to comply with applicable federal and state breach notification laws and foreign law equivalents, subject us to time-consuming, distracting and expensive litigation, regulatory investigation and oversight or mandatory corrective action, require us to verify the correctness of database contents or otherwise subject us to liability under laws, regulations and contractual obligations, including those that protect the privacy and security of personal information. This could result in increased costs to us, and result in significant legal and financial exposure and reputational harm. In addition, any failure or perceived failure by us or our vendors or business partners to comply with our privacy, confidentiality or data security-related legal or other obligations to third parties, or any further security incidents or other inappropriate access events that result in the unauthorized access, release or transfer of sensitive information, which could include personally identifiable information, may result in governmental investigations, enforcement actions, regulatory fines, litigation or public statements against us by advocacy groups or others, and could cause third parties, including clinical sites, regulators or current and potential partners, to lose trust in us, or we could be subject to claims by third parties that we have breached our privacy- or confidentiality-related obligations. Moreover, data security incidents and other inappropriate access can be difficult to detect, and any delay in identifying them may lead to increased harm of the type described above. While we have implemented security measures intended to protect our information technology systems and infrastructure, there can be no assurance that such measures will successfully prevent service interruptions or security incidents.
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If we engage in future acquisitions or strategic collaborations, this may increase our capital requirements, dilute our stockholders, cause us to incur debt or assume contingent liabilities and subject us to other risks.
From time to time, we may evaluate various acquisitions and strategic collaborations, including licensing or acquiring intellectual property rights, technologies or businesses, as deemed appropriate to carry out our business plan. Any potential acquisition or strategic collaboration may entail numerous risks, including:
● increased operating expenses and cash requirements;
● the assumption of additional indebtedness or contingent liabilities;
We are subject to the risks of conducting business internationally.
The global tensions resulting from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the conflict in Israel, Iran, the Gaza Strip, and other parts of the Middle East have increased supply interruptions throughout the world and in the United States and may hinder our ability to find the materials we need to make our products. Although, to date, there has been minimal effect upon our business, supply disruptions could make it harder for us to find favorable pricing and reliable sources for the materials we need, putting upward pressure on our costs and increasing the risk that we may be unable to acquire the materials and services we need to continue to make certain products.
Risks Related to Doing Business in China
The medical industry in China is highly regulated and such regulations are subject to change which may affect approval and commercialization of our products.
A portion of our research is conducted in China through the Joint Venture, We believe the Joint Venture will confers clinical, commercial and regulatory advantages, but may subject the Joint Venture and us to significant regulatory, liquidity, and enforcement risks. The medical industry in China is subject to comprehensive government regulation and supervision, encompassing the approval, registration, manufacturing, packaging, licensing and marketing of new drugs. In recent years, the regulatory framework in China regarding the medical industry has undergone significant changes, and we expect that it will continue to undergo significant changes. Any such changes or amendments may result in increased compliance costs on our business or cause delays in or prevent the successful development or commercialization of our products in China and reduce the current benefits we believe are available to us from researching our products in China. The PRC authorities have become increasingly vigilant in enforcing laws in the medical industry and any failure by us or our partners to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulations or obtain and maintain required licenses and permits may result in the suspension or termination of our business activities in China. We believe our strategy and approach are aligned with the PRC government’s regulatory policies, but we cannot ensure that our strategy and approach will continue to be aligned. In the event that there are changes, we and the Joint Venture will take any and all actions to remain in compliance with any such laws or regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations thereof.
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There may be difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions in China against us based on foreign laws.
We are conducting our research in China through the Joint Venture. The Joint Venture is physically located in and was formed under the laws of Hong Kong. Our joint venture partner, Wider, is located in China. As a result, it may be difficult to effect service of process upon the Joint Venture inside China. It may also be difficult to enforce in U.S. courts judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against the Joint Venture. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against the Joint Venture predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state.
It may be difficult for us to enforce our rights with respect to the Joint Venture. The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of written arrangement with the United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment by us against Wider or the Joint Venture if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security, or the public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States.
The PRC’s economic, political and social conditions, as well as governmental policies, could affect the business environment and financial markets in China, and our ability to operate our business, maintain our liquidity and keep our access to capital.
A portion of our operations are conducted in China through the Joint Venture. Accordingly, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by economic, political, legal and social conditions in China. China’s economy differs from the economies of developed countries in many respects, including with respect to the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth over the past thirty years, growth has been uneven across different regions and among various economic sectors of China. The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage economic development and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall PRC economy but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are currently applicable to us. In addition, in the past the PRC government implemented certain measures, including interest rate increases, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity in China, which may adversely affect our business and results of operation. More generally, if the business environment in China deteriorates from the perspective of domestic or international investment, our business in China may also be adversely affected.
Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.
The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions under the civil law system may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value.
In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past four decades has significantly enhanced the protection afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China. In particular, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory provisions and contractual terms, it may be difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy. These uncertainties may affect our judgment on the relevance of legal requirements and our ability to enforce our contractual rights or tort claims. In addition, regulatory uncertainties may be exploited through unmerited or frivolous legal actions or threats in attempts to extract payments or benefits from us.
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From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights, most notably our rights with respect to the Joint Venture. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules. As a result, we may not be able to keep ourselves updated with these policies and rules in time. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope and effect of our contractual property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.
The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and other compliance procedures may be required in connection with any offering we may make and, if required, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval.
On December 24, 2021, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), issued Provisions of the State Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, and the Provisions of the State Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies. On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Trial Measures for Overseas Listing and the Guidelines for Overseas Listing, or the Filing Rules, which became effective on March 31, 2023.
The new regulations require PRC companies that are listed or in the process of being listed on foreign exchanges (“PRC Companies”) to make certain filings with the CSRC. The new regulations authorize the CSRC to review such fillings, penalize relevant PRC Companies or people in charge, or report to overseas securities regulatory institutions in case of violation of the Trial Measures, in order to ensure PRC Companies are in compliance with PRC regulations and policies. Failure to file as required could subject us or our controlling stockholders to fines and penalties, which may be significant. As of the date of this Report, the CSRC has not published any additional supplemental regulations or guidelines as to PRC Companies and there remains uncertainty regarding the interpretation and enforcement of those newly enacted PRC laws.
As of the date of this Report, (i) our business operations are carried on primarily outside of China; and (ii) we do not maintain any variable interest entity structure or operate any data center in China. We do not believe that sales of our devices to Wider to date constitute doing business in China. However, we may still be subject to PRC laws relating to, among others, data security and restrictions over foreign investments due to the complexity of the regulatory regime in China, and the recent statements and regulatory actions by the PRC government relating to data security may affect only that portion of the Joint Venture’s business operations conducted in China. Our securities are not being offered or sold directly or indirectly in China to or for the benefit of, legal or natural persons of the PRC. Therefore, we have not obtained the approval from either the CSRC or the Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”) for any offering we may make in the future, and we do not intend to obtain the approval from either the CSRC or the CAC in connection with any such future offering, since we do not believe that such approval is required under these circumstances. Under the PRC’s current legal system, Chinese citizens have the right to purchase securities publicly issued by overseas companies through legal channels and enjoy corresponding benefits of such ownership. Ownership of such securities does not require approval from the CSRC or the CAC.
On the website of the CSRC, the CSRC provides that in accordance with current laws and regulations, domestic Chinese residents can invest in overseas securities markets through legal channels such as purchasing qualified domestic institutional investor (QDII) fund product shares and participating in Shanghai Hong Kong stock transactions.
There can be no assurance however, that regulators in China will not take a contrary view or will not subsequently require us to undergo the approval procedures and subject us to penalties for non-compliance. The approval of the CSRC or the CAC, and other compliance procedures may be required in connection with any offering we may make and, if required, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval.
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The PRC government has significant influence by enforcing existing rules and regulation, adopting new ones, or changing relevant industrial policies in a manner that may materially increase our compliance cost, change the relevant industry landscape in which we operate or otherwise cause significant changes to our business operations in China, which could result in material and adverse changes in our operations and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
The PRC’s economy is in a transition from a planned economy to a market-oriented economy subject to five-year and annual plans adopted by the government that set national economic development goals. Policies of the PRC government can have significant effects on the economic conditions within the PRC. The PRC government has confirmed that economic development will follow the model of a market economy. A change in policies by the PRC government could adversely affect our interests by, among other factors: changes in laws, regulations or the interpretation thereof, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on currency conversion, imports or sources of supplies, or the expropriation or nationalization of private enterprises. Although the PRC government has been pursuing economic reform policies for more than two decades, there is no assurance that the government will continue to pursue such policies or that such policies may not be significantly altered, especially in the event of a change in leadership, social or political disruption, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on currency conversion, imports or sources of supplies, or ability to continue as a for-profit enterprise, expropriation or nationalization of private enterprises, changes in the allocation of resources or other circumstances affecting the PRC’s political, economic and social environment.
We may be subject to anti-monopoly concerns as a result of our doing business in China.
Article 3 of Anti-Monopoly Law of the People’s Republic of China prohibits “monopolistic practices,” which include: a) the conclusion of monopoly agreements between operators; b) the abuse of dominant market position by operators; c) concentration of undertakings which has or may have the effect of eliminating or restricting market competition. According to Article 19, the operator(s) will be assumed to have a dominant market position if it has following situation: a) an operator has 50% or higher market share in a relevant market; b) two operators have 66% or higher market share in a relevant market; c) three operators have 75% or higher market share in a relevant market. We believe we have not conducted any monopolistic practices in China, and that recent statements and regulatory actions by the Chinese government do not impact our ability to conduct business, accept foreign investments, create the Joint Venture with Wider, establish our WOFE in China or list on a U.S. or other foreign stock exchange. However, there can be no assurance that regulators in China will not promulgate new laws and regulations or adopt new series of regulatory actions which may require us or the Joint Venture to meet new requirements on the issues mentioned above.
Changes in U.S. and international trade policies, particularly with respect to China, may adversely impact our business and operating results.
Changes to policy implemented by the U.S. Congress, the Trump administration or any new administration have impacted and may in the future impact, among other things, the U.S. and global economy, international trade relations, unemployment, immigration, healthcare, taxation, the U.S. regulatory environment, inflation and other areas. Because certain of our manufacturers and suppliers are located in China, we are exposed to the possibility of product supply disruption and increased costs in the event of changes in the policies, laws, rules and regulations of the United States or foreign governments, as well as political unrest or unstable economic conditions in foreign countries. Recently, the U.S government has announced substantial changes in U.S. trade policy and U.S. trade agreements, including the initiation of tariffs and trade restrictions on goods from China. In response to these measures, China has retaliated by imposing tariffs on certain goods from the U.S. Our components may in the future be subject to these tariffs, which could increase our manufacturing costs and could make our products, if successfully developed and approved, less competitive than those of our competitors whose inputs are not subject to these tariffs. We may otherwise experience supply disruptions or delays, and our suppliers may not continue to provide us with clinical supply in our required quantities, to our required specifications and quality levels or at attractive prices. In addition, certain Chinese contract manufacturing organizations may become subject to trade restrictions, sanctions, other regulatory requirements, or proposed legislation by the U.S. government, which could restrict or even prohibit our ability to work with such entities, thereby potentially disrupting the supply of material to us. Such disruption could have adverse effects on the development of our product candidates and our business operations.
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Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for our technologies and products, or if the scope of the patent protection obtained is insufficient, our competitors could develop and commercialize technologies and products similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize our technologies and products may be impaired.
Our success depends in large part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection in the United States and other countries with respect to our products. We seek to protect our proprietary position by filing patent applications in the United States and abroad related to our technologies and products. If we do not adequately protect our intellectual property, competitors may be able to use our technologies and erode or negate any competitive advantage that we may have, which could harm our business and ability to achieve profitability. To protect our proprietary positions, we file patent applications in the United States and abroad related to our novel technologies and products that are important to our business. The patent application and prosecution processes are expensive and time-consuming. We and our current licensees, or any future licensors and licensees may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. We or our current licensees, or any future licensors or licensees may also fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development before it is too late to obtain patent protection. Therefore, these and any of our patents and applications may not be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. It is possible that defects of form in the preparation or filing of our patents or patent applications may exist, or may arise in the future, such as with respect to proper priority claims, inventorship, claim scope or patent term adjustments. If our current licensees, or any future licensors or licensees, are not fully cooperative or disagree with us as to the prosecution, maintenance or enforcement of any patent rights, such patent rights could be compromised and we might not be able to prevent third parties from making, using and selling competing products. If there are material defects in the form or preparation of our patents or patent applications, such patents or applications may be invalid and unenforceable. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how. Any of these outcomes could impair our ability to prevent competition from third parties.
Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection. In addition, the laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Furthermore, changes in patent laws in the United States, including the America Invents Act of 2011, may affect the scope, strength and enforceability of our patent rights or the nature of proceedings that may be brought by us related to our patent rights.
We may not be aware of all third-party intellectual property rights potentially relating to our current and future products. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until eighteen months after filing, or in some cases not at all. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our patents or pending patent applications, or that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions. Similarly, should we own any patents or patent applications in the future, we may not be certain that we were the first to file for patent protection for the inventions claimed in such patents or patent applications. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity and commercial value of our patent rights cannot be predicted with any certainty. Moreover, we may be subject to a third-party pre-issuance submission of prior art to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the “USPTO”), or become involved in opposition, derivation, re-examination, inter partes review or interference proceedings, in the United States or elsewhere, challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others. An adverse determination in any such submission, proceeding or litigation could reduce the scope of, or invalidate, our patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or products and compete directly with us, without payment to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize products without infringing third-party patent rights.
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Our pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued that protect our technology or products, in whole or in part, or which effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies and products. Even if our patent applications issue as patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection against competing products or processes sufficient to achieve our business objectives, prevent competitors from competing with us or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage. Our competitors may be able to circumvent our owned or licensed patents by developing similar or alternative technologies or products in a non-infringing manner. Alternatively, our competitors may seek approval to market their own products similar to or otherwise competitive with our products. In these circumstances, we may need to defend and/or assert our patents, including by filing lawsuits alleging patent infringement. In any of these types of proceedings, a court or other agency with jurisdiction may find our patents invalid and/or unenforceable.
The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its inventorship, scope, validity or enforceability, and our owned and licensed patents may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the United States and abroad. Such challenges may result in loss of exclusivity or freedom to operate or in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable, in whole or in part, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technologies and products, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technologies and products. In addition, given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new products, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized.
We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or other intellectual property, which could be expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful.
Competitors may infringe our issued patents, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims, which can be expensive and time-consuming and divert the time and attention of our management and scientific personnel. Any claims we assert against perceived infringers could provoke these parties to assert counterclaims against us alleging that we infringe their patents, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property. In addition, in a patent infringement proceeding, there is a risk that a court will decide that a patent of ours is invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, and that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the invention at issue. There is also a risk that, even if the validity of such patents is upheld, the court will construe the patent’s claims narrowly or decide that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the invention at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the invention. An adverse outcome in a litigation or proceeding involving our patents could limit our ability to assert our patents against those parties or other competitors and may curtail or preclude our ability to exclude third parties from making and selling similar or competitive products. Similarly, if we assert trademark infringement claims, a court may determine that the marks we have asserted are invalid or unenforceable, or that the party against whom we have asserted trademark infringement has superior rights to the marks in question. In this case, we could ultimately be forced to cease use of such trademarks.
In any infringement litigation, any award of monetary damages we receive may not be commercially valuable. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during litigation. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our common stock. Moreover, there can be no assurance that we will have sufficient financial or other resources to file and pursue such infringement claims, which typically last for years before they are concluded. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources and more mature and developed intellectual property portfolios. Even if we ultimately prevail in such claims, the monetary cost of such litigation and the diversion of the attention of our management and scientific personnel could outweigh any benefit we receive as a result of the proceedings.
Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing, misappropriating or successfully challenging our intellectual property rights. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could have a negative impact on our ability to compete in the marketplace.
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Third parties may initiate legal proceedings alleging that we are infringing their intellectual property rights, the outcome of which would be uncertain and could significantly harm our business.
Our commercial success depends, in part, on our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell our products and use our proprietary technologies without infringing the intellectual property and other proprietary rights of third parties.
There is potential for a substantial amount of intellectual property litigation in our industry, and we may become party to, or threatened with, litigation or other adversarial proceedings regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our technology or products, including interference proceedings before the USPTO. Intellectual property disputes arise in a number of areas including with respect to patents, use of other proprietary rights and the contractual terms of license arrangements. Third parties may assert claims against us based on existing or future intellectual property rights. The outcome of intellectual property litigation is subject to uncertainties that cannot be adequately quantified in advance.
If we are found to infringe a third party’s intellectual property rights, we could be forced, including by court order, to cease developing, manufacturing or commercializing the infringing product candidate or product. Alternatively, we may be required to obtain a license from such third party in order to use the infringing technology and continue developing, manufacturing or marketing the infringing product candidate.
However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. In addition, we could be found liable for monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees if we are found to have willfully infringed a patent. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing our products or force us to cease some of our business operations. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties could have a similar negative effect on our business.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.
In addition to seeking patent and trademark protection for our products, we also rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information, to maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect our trade secrets, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to them, such as our employees, corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors and other third parties. We also enter into confidentiality and invention or patent assignment agreements with our employees and consultants. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets. Monitoring unauthorized uses and disclosures of our intellectual property is difficult, and we do not know whether the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property will be effective. In addition, we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for any such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts inside and outside the United States are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets.
Moreover, our competitors may independently develop knowledge, methods and know-how equivalent to our trade secrets. Competitors could purchase our products and replicate some or all of the competitive advantages we derive from our development efforts for technologies on which we do not have patent protection. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor, we would have no right to prevent them, or those to whom they communicate it, from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor, our competitive position would be harmed.
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We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on products in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States could be less extensive than those in the United States. In some cases, we may not be able to obtain patent protection for certain licensed technology outside the United States. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as federal and state laws in the United States, even in jurisdictions where we do pursue patent protection. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in all countries outside the United States, even in jurisdictions where we do pursue patent protection or from selling or importing products made using our inventions in and into the United States or other jurisdictions.
Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not pursued and obtained patent protection to develop their own products and, further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our products and preclinical programs and our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.
Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biotechnology products, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents, if pursued and obtained, or marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally.
Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us.
We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license.
Risks Related to Regulatory Approval of Our Products and Other Legal Compliance Matters
Even if we complete the necessary preclinical studies and clinical trials, the regulatory approval process is expensive, time-consuming and uncertain and may prevent us or any future collaborators from obtaining approvals for the commercialization of some or all of our products. As a result, we cannot predict when or if, and in which territories, we, or any future collaborators, will obtain marketing approval to commercialize a product candidate.
Our products and the activities associated with their development and commercialization, including their design, research, testing, manufacture, safety, efficacy, quality control, recordkeeping, labelling, packaging, storage, approval, advertising, promotion, sale, distribution, import, export and reporting of safety and other post-market information, are subject to comprehensive regulation by the FDA and other foreign regulatory agencies including the NMPA. Failure to obtain marketing approval for a product candidate will prevent us from commercializing the product candidate. As a result of the FDA reclassification ruling in December 2019, which impacted the classification of our devices, we had to suspend marketing of our first-Generation medical device for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia. Our Gen-2 and Gen-3 devices have completed development and are in the prototype stage of manufacturing and testing. Securing marketing approval from the FDA in the United States requires the submission of extensive testing and clinical data to regulatory authorities for each therapeutic indication to establish the candidate’s safety and efficacy. Securing marketing approval also requires the submission of information about the product manufacturing process to, and inspection of manufacturing facilities by, the regulatory authorities. Our products may not be effective, may be only moderately effective or may prove to have undesirable or unintended side effects, toxicities or other characteristics that may preclude our obtaining marketing approval or prevent or limit commercial use.
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In addition, changes in marketing approval policies during the development period, changes in or the enactment of additional statutes or regulations or changes in regulatory review for each submitted product application may cause delays in the approval or rejection of an application. Regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the approval process and may refuse to accept any application or may decide that our data is insufficient for approval and require additional preclinical, clinical, or other studies. In addition, varying interpretations of the data obtained from preclinical and clinical testing could delay, limit, or prevent marketing approval of a product candidate. Any marketing approval we ultimately obtain may be limited or subject to restrictions or post-approval commitments that render the approved product not commercially viable.
If we experience delays in obtaining approval or if we fail to obtain approval of our products, the commercial prospects for our products may be harmed and our ability to generate revenues will be impaired.
Failure to obtain marketing approval in foreign jurisdictions would prevent our products from being marketed in these territories. Any approval we are granted for our products in the United States would not assure approval of our products in foreign jurisdictions.
To market and sell our products in other jurisdictions, we must obtain separate marketing approvals and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements. The approval procedure varies among countries and can involve additional testing. The time required to obtain approval may differ substantially from that required to obtain approval from the FDA in the United States. The regulatory approval process outside the United States generally includes all the risks associated with obtaining approval from the FDA. In addition, in many countries outside the United States, 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 on a timely basis, if at all. Approval by the FDA does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions, and approval by one regulatory authority outside the United States does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions or by the FDA. However, failure to obtain approval in one jurisdiction may impact our ability to obtain approval elsewhere. We may not be able to file for marketing approvals and may not receive necessary approvals to commercialize our products in any market.
The U.S. FDA, Chinese National Medical Products Administration and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities may not accept data from trials conducted in locations outside of their jurisdiction.
In addition to clinical trials conducted in the United States, we have chosen, and may continue to choose, to conduct international clinical trials. The acceptance of study data by the FDA, NMPA or other comparable foreign regulatory authority from clinical trials conducted outside of their respective jurisdictions may be subject to certain conditions. In cases where data from foreign clinical trials are intended to serve as the basis for marketing approval in the United States, the FDA will generally not approve the application on the basis of foreign data alone unless (1) the data are applicable to the United States population and United States medical practice; (2) the trials are performed by clinical investigators of recognized competence and pursuant to Current Good Clinical Practice requirements; and (3) the FDA is able to validate the data through an on-site inspection or other appropriate means. The FDA may accept the use of some foreign data to support a marketing approval if the clinical trial meets certain requirements. Additionally, the FDA’s clinical trial requirements, including the adequacy of the subject population studied and statistical powering, must be met. Furthermore, such foreign trials would be subject to the applicable local laws of the foreign jurisdictions where the trials are conducted. There can be no assurance that the FDA, NMPA or any applicable foreign regulatory authority will accept data from trials conducted outside of its respective jurisdiction. If the FDA, NMPA or any applicable foreign regulatory authority does not accept such data, it would result in the need for additional trials, which would be costly and time-consuming and delay aspects of our business plan, and which may result in our product candidates not receiving approval for commercialization in the applicable jurisdiction.
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Even if we obtain marketing approvals for our products, the terms of approvals and ongoing regulation of our products may limit how we manufacture and market our products and compliance with such requirements may involve substantial resources, which could materially impair our ability to generate revenue.
Even if marketing approval of a product candidate is granted, an approved product and its manufacturer and marketer are subject to ongoing review and extensive regulation, including the potential requirements to implement a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy or to conduct costly post-marketing studies or clinical trials and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of the product. We must also comply with requirements concerning advertising and promotion for any of our products for which we obtain marketing approval. Promotional communications are subject to a variety of legal and regulatory restrictions and must be consistent with the information in the product’s approved labelling. Thus, we will not be able to promote any products we develop for indications or uses for which they are not approved. In addition, manufacturers of approved products and those manufacturers’ facilities are required to comply with extensive FDA requirements including ensuring quality control and manufacturing procedures, which include requirements relating to quality control and quality assurance as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation and reporting requirements. We and our contract manufacturers could be subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA to monitor and ensure compliance.
Our employees, independent contractors, principal investigators, consultants, commercial partners and vendors may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements.
We are exposed to the risk of employee fraud or other misconduct or failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements. Misconduct by employees and independent contractors, such as principal investigators, consultants, commercial partners and vendors, could include failures to comply with regulations of the FDA and other comparable regulatory authorities, to provide accurate information to such regulators, to comply with manufacturing standards we have established, to comply with healthcare fraud and abuse laws, to report financial information or data accurately or to disclose unauthorized activities to us. In particular, sales, marketing and other business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws intended to prevent fraud, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws may restrict or prohibit a wide range of business activities, including, but not limited to, research, manufacturing, distribution, pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Employee and independent contractor misconduct could also involve the improper use of individually identifiable information, including, without limitation, information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. In addition, federal procurement laws impose substantial penalties for misconduct in connection with government contracts and require certain contractors to maintain a code of business ethics and conduct. It is not always possible to identify and deter employee and independent contractor misconduct, and any precautions we take to detect and prevent improper activities may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with such laws. If any such actions are instituted against us, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, disgorgement, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, additional reporting or oversight obligations if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with the law and curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate.
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Our current and future relationships with healthcare professionals, principal investigators, consultants, customers and third-party payors in the United States and elsewhere may be subject, directly or indirectly, to applicable anti-kickback, fraud and abuse, false claims, physician payment transparency, health information privacy and security and other healthcare laws and regulations, which could expose us to penalties.
Healthcare providers, physicians, clinicians, and third-party payors in the United States and elsewhere will play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any products for which we obtain marketing approval. Our current and future arrangements with healthcare professionals, principal investigators, consultants, customers and third-party payors may expose us to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the federal False Claims Act, that may constrain the business or financial arrangements and relationships through which we research, sell, market and distribute any products for which we obtain marketing approval. In addition, we may be subject to physician payment transparency laws and patient privacy and security regulation by the federal government and by the states and foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. The applicable federal, state and foreign healthcare laws that may affect our ability to operate include the following:
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Further, the ACA, among other things, amended the intent requirement of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and certain criminal statutes governing healthcare fraud. A person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it. In addition, the ACA provided that the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act.
Efforts to ensure that our future business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations may 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. 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, including, without limitation, damages, monetary fines, disgorgement, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, additional reporting or oversight obligations if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with the law and curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and pursue our strategy. If any of the physicians or other healthcare providers or entities with whom we expect to do business, including future collaborators, are found not to comply with applicable laws, they may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from participation in government healthcare programs, which could also affect our business.
Recently enacted and future legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us and our collaborators to obtain marketing approval of and commercialize our products and affect the prices we may obtain.
In the United States and some foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding the healthcare system that could prevent, alter or delay marketing approval of our existing or future products, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to profitably sell any products for which we obtain marketing approval.
Among policy makers and payors in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality and/or expanding access. For example, the ACA, which was enacted in the United States in March 2010, includes measures to change health care delivery, decrease the number of individuals without insurance, ensure access to certain basic health care services and contain the rising cost of care. The healthcare reform movement, including the enactment of the ACA, has significantly changed health care financing by both governmental and private insurers in the United States. With respect to pharmaceutical manufacturers, the ACA increased the number of individuals with access to health care coverage, but it simultaneously imposed, among other things, increased liability for rebates and discounts owed to certain entities and government health care programs, and new transparency reporting requirements under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act.
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Since its enactment, there have been judicial and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the ACA, as well as efforts to repeal or replace certain aspects of the ACA. We continue to evaluate the effect that the ACA and its possible repeal and replacement has on our business. It is uncertain the extent to which any such changes may impact our business or financial condition.
In addition to the ACA, other federal health reform measures have been proposed and adopted in the United States. For example, legislation has been enacted to reduce the level of reimbursement paid to providers under the Medicare program over time, as well as phase in alternative payment models for provider services under the Medicare program with the goal of incentivizing the attainment of pre-defined quality measures. As these measures are not fully in effect, and since the U.S. Congress could intervene to prevent their full implementation, at this time, it is unclear how payment reductions or the introduction of the quality payment program will impact overall physician reimbursement under the Medicare program. It is also unclear if changes in Medicare payments to providers would impact such providers’ willingness to prescribe and administer our existing or future products, if approved. Further, there has been heightened governmental scrutiny over the manner in which companies set prices for their marketed products. For example, there have been several recent Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, review the relationship between pricing and patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for products.
We expect that the ACA, as well as other healthcare reform measures that 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. 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 prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability or commercialize our products.
Legislative and regulatory proposals have been made to expand post-approval requirements and restrict sales and promotional activities for products. We cannot be sure whether additional legislative changes will be enacted, or whether the FDA regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed, or what the impact of such changes on the marketing approvals of our products, if any, may be. In addition, increased scrutiny by the U.S. Congress of the FDA’s approval process may significantly delay or prevent marketing approval, as well as subject us to more stringent product labelling and post-marketing testing and other requirements.
Our business activities may be subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and similar anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws of other countries in which we operate, as well as U.S. and foreign export controls, trade sanctions and import laws and regulations. Compliance with these legal requirements could limit our ability to compete in foreign markets and subject us to liability if we violate them.
If we further expand our operations outside of the United States, we must dedicate additional resources to comply with numerous laws and regulations in each jurisdiction in which we plan to operate. Our business activities may be subject to the FCPA and similar anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws, regulations or rules of other countries in which we operate. The FCPA generally prohibits companies and their employees and third-party intermediaries from offering, promising, giving or authorizing the provision of anything of value, either directly or indirectly, to a non-U.S. government official in order to influence official action or otherwise obtain or retain business. The FCPA also requires public companies to make and keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect the transactions of the corporation and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls. Our business is heavily regulated and therefore involves significant interaction with public officials, including officials of non-U.S. governments. Additionally, in many other countries, hospitals owned and operated by the government and doctors and other hospital employees would be considered foreign officials under the FCPA. Recently the SEC and DOJ have increased their FCPA enforcement activities with respect to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. There is no certainty that all our employees, agents or contractors, or those of our affiliates, will comply with all applicable laws and regulations, particularly given the high level of complexity of these laws. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in fines, criminal sanctions against us, our officers or our employees, disgorgement and other sanctions and remedial measures and prohibitions on the conduct of our business. Any such violations could include prohibitions on our ability to offer our products in one or more countries and could materially damage our reputation, our brand, our international activities, our ability to attract and retain employees and our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition.
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In addition, our products and technology may be subject to U.S. and foreign export controls, trade sanctions and import laws and regulations. Governmental regulation of the import or export of our products and technology, or our failure to obtain any required import or export authorization for our products, when applicable, could harm our international sales and adversely affect our revenue. Compliance with applicable regulatory requirements regarding the export of our products may create delays in the introduction of our products in international markets or, in some cases, prevent the export of our products to some countries altogether. Furthermore, U.S. export control laws and economic sanctions prohibit the shipment of certain products and services to countries, governments and persons targeted by U.S. sanctions. If we fail to comply with export and import regulations and such economic sanctions, penalties could be imposed, including fines and/or denial of certain export privileges. Moreover, any new export or import restrictions, new legislation or shifting approaches in the enforcement or scope of existing regulations, or in the countries, persons or products targeted by such regulations, could result in decreased use of our products by, or in our decreased ability to export our products to, existing or potential customers with international operations. Any decreased use of our products or limitation on our ability to export or sell access to our products would likely adversely affect our business.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock and Our Status as a Public Company
The trading price of our common stock has been and is likely to be volatile and to fluctuate substantially, which could result in substantial losses for purchasers of our common stock.
Our stock price has been, and is likely to be, volatile. The stock market in general and the market for companies in our industry in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. Volatility in our common stock is also subject to risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in this “Risk Factors” section. These and other market and industry factors may cause the market price and demand for our common stock to fluctuate substantially, regardless of our actual operating performance, which may limit or prevent investors from selling their shares of our common stock and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our common stock. As a result of this volatility, investors may not be able to sell their shares at or above the price paid.
Some companies that have experienced volatility in the trading price of their shares have been the subject of securities class action litigation. Any lawsuit to which we are a party, with or without merit, may result in an unfavorable judgment. We also may decide to settle lawsuits on unfavorable terms. Any such negative outcome could result in payments of substantial damages or fines, damage to our reputation or adverse changes to our business practices. Defending against litigation is costly and time-consuming and could divert our management’s attention and our resources. Furthermore, during litigation, there could be negative public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments, which could have a negative effect on the market price of our common stock.
If we are not able to comply with the applicable continued listing requirements or standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, Nasdaq could delist our common stock, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
Our shares of our common stock are listed on the Capital Market tier of the Nasdaq Stock Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “NXL.” Nasdaq has rules for continued listing, including, without limitation, minimum market capitalization, minimum stockholders’ equity and other requirements. In order to maintain that listing, we must satisfy minimum financial and other continued listing requirements and standards, including the Minimum Bid Price Rule (as discussed below) and those regarding director independence and independent committee requirements, minimum stockholders’ equity, and certain corporate governance requirements. There can be no assurances that we will be able to comply with the applicable listing standards.
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On January 21, 2026, the Company received a deficiency letter (the “Notice”) from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC notifying the Company that, based upon the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, for the last 30 consecutive business days, the Company is not currently in compliance with the requirement to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the “Minimum Bid Requirement”).
The Notice has no immediate effect on the continued listing status of the Common Stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market, and, therefore, the Company’s listing remains fully effective. In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company is provided a compliance period of 180 calendar days from the date of the Notice, or until July 20, 2026, to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement. To regain compliance, the closing bid price of the Common Stock must meet or exceed $1.00 per share for a minimum of ten consecutive business days prior to July 20, 2026. If the Company is not in compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement by July 20, 2026, the Company may be afforded a second 180 calendar day compliance period. To qualify for this additional compliance period, the Company will be required to meet the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for The Nasdaq Capital Market, with the exception of the Minimum Bid Price requirement.
If Nasdaq delists our common stock from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our common stock on another national securities exchange, we expect our common stock could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant adverse consequences, including:
● a limited availability of market quotations for our common stock;
● reduced liquidity for our common stock;
● a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
● a decreased ability to obtain additional financing in the future.
If equity research analysts do not publish research or reports, or publish unfavorable research or reports about us, our business or our market, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. We do not currently have and may never obtain research coverage by equity research analysts. Equity research analysts may elect not to provide research coverage of our common stock, and such lack of research coverage may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. In the event we do have equity research analyst coverage, we will not have any control over the analysts, or the content and opinions included in their reports. The price of our shares could decline if one or more equity research analysts downgrade our shares or issue other unfavorable commentary or research about us. If one or more equity research analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our shares could decrease, which in turn could cause the trading price or trading volume of our common stock to decline.
We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock, and we currently do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We intend to retain any earnings to finance the development and expansion of our products and business. Accordingly, our stockholders will not realize a return on their investments unless the trading price of our common stock appreciates.
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Concentration of ownership of our common stock among our existing executive officers, directors and principal stockholders may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions and matters submitted to stockholders for approval.
Our executive officers, directors and current beneficial owners of 5% or more of our common stock and their respective affiliates, in the aggregate, beneficially own approximately 22.14% of our outstanding common stock, based on the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 23, 2026. As a result, these persons, acting together, would be able to significantly influence all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors, any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets or other significant corporate transactions. In addition, these persons, acting together, may have the ability to control the management and affairs of our company. Accordingly, this concentration of ownership may harm the market price of our common stock by:
● delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control;
● entrenching our management and/or the board of directors;
In addition, some of these persons or entities may have interests different than yours. For example, because many of these stockholders purchased their shares at prices substantially below the price at which shares were sold in our public offering and have held their shares for a longer period, they may be more interested in selling our company to an acquirer than other investors, or they may want us to pursue strategies that deviate from the interests of other stockholders.
Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of our Company, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
Provisions in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and our Amended and Restated Bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of our company that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which you might otherwise receive a premium for your shares. These provisions also could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our common stock. In addition, because our board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors. Among other things, these provisions:
● limit who may call stockholder meetings; and
Moreover, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), which prohibits a person who owns in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person acquired more than 15% of our outstanding voting stock, unless the merger or combination is approved in a prescribed manner. These provisions could discourage potential acquisition proposals and could delay or prevent a change in control transaction. They could also have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for our common stock, including transactions that may be in your best interests. These provisions may also prevent changes in our management or limit the price that investors are willing to pay for our stock.
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Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States of America are the exclusive forums for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, including claims under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and the Exchange Act, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for:
● any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf;
● any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty;
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation further provides that the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.
These exclusive-forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. If a court were to find either exclusive-forum provision in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions. We note that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such exclusive-forum provision and that provision may result in increased costs for investors to bring a claim.
We are an “emerging growth company” and as a result of the reduced disclosure and governance requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, our common stock may be less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, we do not intend to take advantage of some of the exemptions from reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including:
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We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and the trading prices for our securities may be more volatile. We may take advantage of these exemptions until the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering. However, if any of the following events occur prior to the end of such five-year period, (i) our annual gross revenue exceeds $1.235 billion, (ii) we issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt in any three-year period or (iii) we become a “large accelerated filer,” (as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act), we will cease to be an emerging growth company prior to the end of such five-year period. We will be deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” at such time that we (a) have an aggregate worldwide market value of common equity securities held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more as of the last business day of our most recently completed fiscal year, (b) have been required to file annual and quarterly reports under the Exchange Act, for a period of at least twelve months and (c) have filed at least one annual report pursuant to the Exchange Act.
Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, we may still qualify as a “smaller reporting company,” which would allow us to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements including reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this Report and our other periodic reports and proxy statements.
Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have irrevocably elected to avail ourselves of this exemption from new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, will be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are emerging growth companies. As a result, changes in rules of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or their interpretation, the adoption of new guidance or the application of existing guidance to changes in our business could significantly affect our financial position and results of operations.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting, which could impair our ability to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis.
We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, as amended, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”) and the rules and regulations of Nasdaq. Sarbanes-Oxley requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting (“ICFR”).
As required by Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley t, we must evaluate and test our ICFR in order for management to report on the effectiveness in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filing for each fiscal year. This requires us to incur substantial additional professional fees and internal costs, expand our accounting and finance functions, and devote significant management time and attention.
As of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our management concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective due to the following material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting:
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As described in Item 9A-Controls and Procedures—Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting, the Company has begun, and will continue the process of remediating its identified material weaknesses. Management’s continuing evaluation and work to enhance the Company’s internal control over financial reporting has required and will continue to require the dedication of additional resources and management time and expense. If the Company fails to maintain the effectiveness of its ICFR, including any failure to implement new or improved controls, or if the Company experiences difficulties in their implementation, the Company’s business and operating results could be harmed, and the Company could fail to meet its financial reporting obligations, which in turn could affect the market price of the Company’s securities. In addition, perceptions of the Company among lenders, investors, securities analysts and others could also be adversely affected. The current material weaknesses or any weaknesses or deficiencies identified in the future could also hurt confidence in the Company’s business and the accuracy and completeness of the Company’s financial statements.
The Company can give no assurances that the remediation measures it has implemented and will begin implementing, or any future measures it may take, will remediate the material weaknesses identified or that any additional material weaknesses will not arise or be identified in the future due to the Company’s failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting. In addition, even if the Company is successful in strengthening its controls and procedures, those controls and procedures may not be effective to prevent or identify irregularities or ensure the fair and accurate presentation of the Company’s financial statements included in its periodic reports filed with the SEC.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
We maintain an information security program and governance framework that is designed to protect our information systems against operational risks related to cybersecurity.
Our Board of Directors is primarily responsible for overseeing and governing our cybersecurity risk management program.The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing management’s processes for identifying and mitigating risks that affect our operations, including cybersecurity risks.Procedures for assessing, identifying and managing cybersecurity-related risks are incorporated into our overall risk management framework. Senior leadership regularly briefs the full Board of Directors on our cybersecurity and information security posture and the Audit Committee is apprised of cybersecurity incidents deemed to pose a critical risk to our information technology (“IT”) assets or business.We rely upon in-house and third- party cybersecurity vendors to monitor our IT systems and assets and have a governance structure and processes to assess, identify, manage, and report cybersecurity risks.
We continue to assess the risks and changes in the cyber environment, invest in enhancements to our cybersecurity capabilities, and engage in industry and government forums to promote advancements in our cybersecurity capabilities, as well as the broader cybersecurity ecosystem.
Although we have not, as of the date of this Report, experienced a cybersecurity incident that materially affected our business, financial condition and results of operations, we can provide no assurance that we will not experience a material cybersecurity incident in the future.
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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our principal executive office is located at 1776 Yorktown, Suite 550, Houston, Texas 77056. Under ASC 842 “Leases”, we have a sub-lease (through IIcom Strategic Inc. controlled and owned by our Chief Executive Officer) totaling approximately 4,000 square feet of office space under an operating lease. Management and supporting staff are located at this location. The initial sub-lease expired in January of 2024. The Company entered into a new sublease for the same parties for additional space, which expired in February 2026, at which time the Company is paying month to month. Pursuant to the sublease, we paid the third-party landlord (not the sub landlord) all direct and indirect rent costs under the primary lease directly for the leased premises. No additional payments are made to the Chief Executive Officer or the entity controlled by him.
We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities for the production of any of our products, nor do we have plans to develop our own manufacturing operations in the foreseeable future. We believe our current premises are sufficient for our needs at this time and for the foreseeable future.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time, we may become involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. As of the date of this Report, there are no material pending legal proceedings in which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or in which any director, officer or affiliate of the Company, any owner of record or beneficially of more than 5% of any class of its voting securities, or security holder is a party adverse to us or has a material interest adverse to the Company other than the following:
Employment Development Department
The Company entered into a settlement discussion with the Employment Development Department (EDD) of the State of California. This matter involved issues related to our previous management’s classification of certain work provided to or on behalf of the Company’s business as contract labor instead of employee labor. The total amount involved was approximately $300,000. Management petitioned for reassessment and believed the workers at issue were indeed actual contractors and not employees. We have no business in California other than one part time and one full time worker residing in California. The EDD approved a significant downward adjustment in our outstanding employment tax liability to approximately $40,000 and later to approximately $30,000. All amounts were paid prior to December 31, 2025 and this matter is settled.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not Applicable.
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PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Principal Market
Our common stock is currently traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “NXL.”
Equity Holders
As of March 23, 2026, the number of
stockholders of our common stock of record was approximately 794 persons and the last reported closing price per share of our common
stock on such date was $0.41 The number of stockholders of record is not representative of the number of beneficial stockholders due
to the fact that many shares are held by depositories, brokers, or nominees.
Dividends
We have not declared or paid any cash dividends on its common stock since inception. We do not intend to pay any cash dividends at this time or in the foreseeable future.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the Company granted stock options to purchase an aggregate of 1,075,539 shares of its common stock and issued an aggregate of 1,101,416 shares of restricted common stock under the Company’s 2023 Equity Incentive Plan. The stock options are exercisable in accordance with their respective award agreements. The securities were to employees, officers, directors and consultants in consideration for services rendered to the Company.
Repurchase of Equity Securities
None.
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
Nexalin’s 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2023 Plan”) was approved by our stockholders on November 10, 2023, and amendments to the 2023 Plan were approved by our stockholders on August 26, 2024 and July 15, 2025, to provide for additional shares to be available for the grant of awards. The 2023 Plan provides that the maximum number of shares of common stock available for the grant of awards under the 2023 Plan shall be 9,000,000, subject to adjustment for stock dividends, stock splits or similar events.
The 2023 Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, which may in turn delegate administrative authority to one or more of our executive officers. Under the terms of the 2023 Plan, the Compensation Committee may grant equity awards, including nonqualified stock options and restricted stock to employees, officers, directors, consultants, agents, advisors and independent contractors.
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The following table sets forth securities authorized for issuance under any equity compensation plans approved by our stockholders as well as any equity compensation plans not approved by our stockholders as of December 31, 2025.
Plans not approved by shareholders - - -
On December 19, 2025, the Board and the Compensation Committee approved the grant of stock options to certain employees and Board members, subject to shareholder approval of an amendment to the 2023 Plan to increase the number of shares available for issuance. As of December 31, 2025, shareholder approval had not been obtained, and therefore no grant date had occurred, and no compensation expense has been recognized. The table above does not include 2,400,000 shares underlying stock options that are contingent on the above shareholder approval.
See Item 11. “Executive Compensation” for a discussion of certain stock related compensation agreements with certain of our executive officers.
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
You should read the following discussion and analysis of financial condition and operating results together with our financial statements and the related notes and other financial information included elsewhere in this Report. References in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” to “us,” “we,” “our,” and similar terms refer to Nexalin Technology, Inc. and its subsidiaries. This discussion contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections. The events described in forward-looking statements contained in this discussion may not occur. Generally, these statements relate to business plans or strategies, projected or anticipated benefits or other consequences of our plans or strategies, projected or anticipated benefits from acquisitions that may be made by us, or projections involving anticipated revenues, earnings or other aspects of our operating results. The words “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” and “continue,” and their opposites and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We caution you that these statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to a number of uncertainties, risks and other influences, many of which are beyond our control, which may influence the accuracy of the statements and the projections upon which the statements are based. Reference is made to “Risk Factors” in this Report. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. For convenience of presentation some of the numbers have been rounded in the text below.
Overview
Nexalin Technology, Inc. is a medical device
company focused on developing innovative neurostimulation products to address the global mental health epidemic. The Company
generates limited domestic revenue primarily from legacy Gen-1 device licensing fees and electrode sales, as U.S. marketing of new
Gen-1 devices has been paused following the FDA’s December 2019 reclassification of cranial electrotherapy stimulation
devices and international sales of our Gen-2. Revenue continues to be derived from sales of Gen-1 devices and supplies
internationally. During fiscal year 2025, the Company advanced its next-generation product development, with the FDA formally
accepting the Company’s Q-Submission for its Gen-2 SYNC system targeting Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and clinical
trials for the Gen-3 HALO device for insomnia in the United States. Management’s priorities include obtaining FDA clearance
for its Gen-2 and Gen-3 devices and executing U.S. clinical trials. The Company faces significant challenges, including substantial
doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern due to recurring losses and negative cash flows, a requirement to regain
compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement, and material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting
related to segregation of duties and IT access controls. As of December 31, 2025, the Company had cash and cash equivalents and
investments of approximately $3.7 million and an accumulated deficit of approximately $92.9 million. The Company intends to fund
operations through its at-the-market offering facility and other financing activities, though there can be no assurance that
sufficient capital will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. The neurostimulation industry remains competitive and subject
to rapid technological change, and the Company’s success depends on its ability to obtain regulatory approvals, protect its
intellectual property, and achieve market acceptance for its products.
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Results of Operations
Comparison of the Years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024
Our financial results for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 are summarized as follows:
For the Year Ended December 31,
$ %
Operating expenses:
Other income, net:
Provision for income taxes - - - 0 %
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Unrealized gain (loss) from short-term investments 919 (108 ) 1,027 (951 %)
(1) Percentages may not foot due to rounding.
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Revenues
For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, we generated approximately $302,000 and $169,000 respectively, of revenue primarily from the sale of Devices and Licensing and treatment fee agreements with our customers for which we charge a monthly licensing fee for the duration of the agreement. We also generated revenue from treatment fee agreements by collecting fees based on the number of treatments per month to customers. In addition, we derived revenue from Equipment by selling boards, electrodes and patient cables to customers for use with our devices. The approximate $133,000 increase in revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily due to an increase in Device sales of approximately $81,000 due to increased units sold to international customers in 2025. In addition, Equipment sales increased by approximately $47,000 from increased sales of electrodes and cables. Other revenue also increased by approximately $26,000 from shipping income and other miscellaneous service income during the year. This was offset by a decrease in Licensing fees of approximately $20,000.
Cost of Revenues and Gross Profit
For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, cost of revenues was approximately $61,000 and $37,000, respectively, yielding a gross profit of approximately $240,000 and $132,000, respectively, or 80% and 78% gross profit, respectively. The change in gross profit was not material based on the revenue levels at this time. The slight increase in gross profit was a result of the mix of revenue types during the periods.
Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 were approximately $8,631,000 and $7,887,000, respectively, an increase of approximately $744,000, consisting of increases in; salaries and benefits expenses of approximately $379,000, selling, general and administrative expenses of approximately $169,000 and in professional fees expenses of approximately $303,000. This was offset by a decrease in research and development expenses of approximately $107,000.
The salaries and benefits cost increases of approximately $379,000 were primarily attributable to additional compensation related to three new employees, bonuses and normal pay, taxes and benefit increase throughout the organization.
Selling, general and administrative cost increases of approximately $169,000 were due to increases of approximately $227,000 in consulting expenses for additional international distribution services and other advisory services, approximately $30,000 of increases in rent for additional space in 2025 and approximately $40,000 for the build out of a new website and marketing material, offset by decreases in insurance of approximately $50,000, in travel expenses of approximately $60,000. The remaining net decrease of approximately $17,000 was due to various immaterial changes in various accounts during the year.
The increase in professional fees of approximately $303,000 was primarily due to increases of approximately $45,000 in accounting, $90,000 in legal and $10,000 in printing. These increases are primarily attributable to increased services during the year from the capital raise and other registration statement activity. Additionally, there was an increase of approximately $177,000 for marketing and investor related activity. The remaining net decrease of approximately $19,000 was due to various immaterial changes in various accounts during the year.
Research and development costs decreased by approximately $107,000 from December 31, 2024 to December 31, 2025. The primary decrease was related to a one-time non-cash compensation charge in 2024 for approximately $400,000 for shares of common stock issued to our Joint Venture party, Wider, for research activities and a reduction of approximately $43,000 of decreased costs related to the SYNC desktop project. This was offset by increases to various research and development projects consisting of the following; increase of approximately $170,000 for development cost related to our virtual clinic APP, increase cost of approximately $109,000 associated with the HALO development project, and increase costs of approximately $51,000 for clinical trials (UCSD and Brazil). The remaining net increase of approximately $6,000 was due to various immaterial changes in various accounts during the year.
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Other Income, net
Other income, net as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 were approximately $170,000 and $143,000 respectively, consisting of interest and dividend income and gain on the sale of short-term investments. The increase in other income was primarily due to an adjustment in a settlement liability that was settled in 2025.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Working Capital
Current assets increased for the year ended December 31, 2025 primarily as a result of an increase in short-term investments and cash and cash equivalents as a result of a capital raise and use of our ATM program. Accounts receivable also increased as a result of additional revenue near year end.
Current liabilities increased for the year ended December 31, 2025 due to an accounts payable increase from to timing of payments. Accrued expense increased due to additional bonuses earned and not paid out at year end.
“At-the-Market” Offering
On October 15, 2025, we entered into an Amendment No. 2 to that certain equity distribution agreement, dated April 29, 2025 (as amended by that certain Amendment No. 1 to the Equity Distribution Agreement, dated May 5, 2025, the “Equity Distribution Agreement”) with Maxim Group LLC (“Maxim”), under which we currently have the ability to issue and sell shares of our common stock, from time to time, through Maxim, up to an aggregate offering price of approximately $4,273,000 (“ATM”). During the year ended December 31, 2025 we sold 691,407 shares of our common stock for approximately $643,000 of gross proceeds. The total commissions and related legal and accounting fees were approximately $119,000 as of December 31, 2025 and we received net proceeds of approximately $524,000.
Subsequent to December 31, 2025, we have sold 1,395,300 shares of our common stock under this program for gross proceeds of approximately $780,000 and net proceeds of approximately $756,000.
As of March 23, 2026, we had remaining capacity to sell up to an additional approximate $2,850,000 worth of common stock under the ATM program.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our consolidated cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024:
Net cash used in investing activities $ (131,991 ) $ (577,539 )
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Net Cash Used In Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $4,958,000 for the year ended December 31, 2025, as compared to $3,944,000 for the year ended December 31, 2024, an increase of approximately $1,014,000, which was primarily due to an increase in net loss of approximately $615,000, or approximately $1,121,000 adjusted for non-cash expenses. The remaining change was due to changes in operating assets and liabilities for the respective periods; a increase in accounts payable of approximately $92,000, a decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets of approximately $91,000, increase in inventory of approximately $45,000, an increase in lease liability of approximately $4,000, an increase in accrued expenses of approximately $123,000 and decrease in accounts receivable of approximately $65,000.
Net Cash Used In Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2025, and 2024 was approximately $132,000 and $578,000, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2025 this was due to short-term investment sales of approximately $40,725,000 offset by purchases of approximately $40,760,000 of short-term investments and the purchase of patents and trademarks of approximately $97,000. Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2024, of approximately $578,000 was due to short-term investment sales of approximately $33,224,000 offset by purchases of approximately $33,631,000 of short-term investments and the purchase of patents and trademarks of approximately $170,000.
Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 was approximately $5,170,000 and $4,516,000, respectively. The increase in 2025 was primarily due to a higher level of common stock sales, including the initial utilization of our at-the-market (“ATM”) equity program in 2025, which was not utilized in 2024.
Uses and Availability of Additional Funds
Our primary uses of capital are, and we expect will continue to be, compensation and related expenses, third-party clinical research and development services, manufacturing development costs, legal and other regulatory expenses, and general administrative costs. Although we have produced Gen-2, which is selling internationally where it is approved for certain utilizations by medical practitioners, the successful development of our future products is highly uncertain. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate or know the nature, timing and estimated costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the clinical development of Gen-3 and obtain regulatory approvals. We are also unable to predict when, if ever, net cash inflows from revenues will enable us to be cash flow positive. This is due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with developing products, including, among others, the uncertainty of:
● successful enrolment in, and completion of clinical trials;
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● competing effectively with other therapies;
● obtaining and maintaining healthcare coverage and adequate reimbursement;
● protecting our rights in our intellectual property portfolio; and
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2025, the Company had a significant accumulated deficit of approximately $92,867,000. For the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company had a net loss of approximately $8,222,000 and negative cash flows from operations of approximately $4,958,000. The Company will continue to service existing customers in the United States as well as sell devices and equipment overseas. The Company’s operating activities consume the majority of its cash resources. The Company anticipates that it will continue to incur operating losses as it executes its development plans including clinical trials through 2026 and beyond, as well as other potential strategic and business development initiatives. In addition, the Company has had and expects to have negative cash flows from operations, at least into the near future. The Company previously funded these losses primarily through the sale of equity and utilization of our ATM program. As of December 31, 2025, the Company had cash and cash equivalents on hand of approximately $655,000 and short-term investments of approximately $3,068,000. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern for at least twelve months after the date of this Report.
Our ability to continue as a going concern will be dependent upon our ability to execute on our business plan, including the ability to generate revenue from overseas opportunities and obtain U.S. approval for the sale of our devices in the United States, and, if necessary, our ability to raise additional capital. Although no assurances can be given as to our ability to deliver on our revenue plans or that unforeseen expenses may arise, management has evaluated the significance of the conditions as of December 31, 2025 and have concluded that we will not have sufficient cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments to satisfy our anticipated cash requirements for the next twelve months from the issuance of these consolidated financial statements. These plans were therefore determined not to be sufficient to overcome the presumption of substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within twelve months from the issuance of these consolidated financial statements. The accompanying consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
Effects of Inflation
We do not believe that inflation had a material impact on our business, revenues or operating results during the periods presented.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, which require our management to make estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the balance sheet dates, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and actual results, our financial condition or results of operations would be affected. We base our estimates on our own historical experience and other assumptions that we believe are reasonable after taking account of our circumstances and expectations for the future based on available information. We evaluate these estimates on an ongoing basis.
We consider an accounting estimate to be critical if: (i) the accounting estimate requires us to make assumptions about matters that were highly uncertain at the time the accounting estimate was made, and (ii) changes in the estimate that are reasonably likely to occur from period to period or use of different estimates that we reasonably could have used in the current period, would have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. There are items within our consolidated financial statements that require estimation but are not deemed critical, as defined above.
For a detailed discussion of our significant accounting policies and related judgments, see Note 3 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplemental Data” of this Report.
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Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 3 – Summary of significant accounting policies and new accounting standards in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report for a summary of recently adopted accounting pronouncements.
Contractual Obligations
See Note 7 – Commitments and Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report for a summary of our contractual obligations.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that is material to investors.
Factors That May Affect Future Results and Financial Condition
The information contained under the caption “Risk Factors” beginning on page 18 of this Report provides examples of risks, uncertainties and events that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations we describe in our forward-looking statements. Readers should be aware that the occurrence of any of the events described in these risk factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Nasdaq
In September 2025, our IPO warrants expired, and a Form 25 was filed with the SEC to indicate that the warrants had expired and were delisted. The common stock of the Company will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “NXL”.
Minimum Bid Price Requirement
We are required to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share. On January 21, 2026, the Company received a deficiency letter (the “Notice”) from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that, based upon the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, for the last 30 consecutive business days, the Company is not currently in compliance with the requirement to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the “Minimum Bid Requirement”).
The Notice has no immediate effect on the continued listing status of the Common Stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market, and, therefore, the Company’s listing remains fully effective. In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company is provided a compliance period of 180 calendar days from the date of the Notice, or until July 20, 2026, to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement. To regain compliance, the closing bid price of the Common Stock must meet or exceed $1.00 per share for a minimum of ten consecutive business days prior to July 20, 2026. If the Company is not in compliance with the Minimum Bid Requirement by July 20, 2026, the Company may be afforded a second 180 calendar day compliance period. To qualify for this additional compliance period, the Company will be required to meet the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for The Nasdaq Capital Market, with the exception of the Minimum Bid Price requirement.
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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Not Applicable. As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide the information required by Item 7A.
ITEM 8. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
See attached Consolidated Financial Statements beginning on page F-1 attached to this Report.
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
There are no changes in or disagreements with accountants on accounting and financial disclosure.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we have evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our “disclosure controls and procedures,” as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) or Rule 15d-15(e) promulgated under the Exchange Act as of the end of the period covered by this Report. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of the end of the period covered by this Report to provide reasonable assurance that material information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms due to the material weakness described below.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by our board of directors to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Our management evaluated, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (our “Certifying Officers”), the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Certifying Officers concluded that, as of the evaluation date, our internal control over financial reporting was not effective due to the following material weaknesses:
The deficiencies described above, if not remedied, could result in a misstatement of one or more account balances or disclosures in our annual or interim consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected, and, accordingly, we determined that these control deficiencies constitute a material weakness.
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To address our material weakness, we intend
to implement new financial accounting controls and processes. We intend to continue to take steps to remediate the material weakness
described above through implementing enhancements and controls within our accounting systems, and by hiring qualified personnel with
experience and knowledge in accounting and financial reporting, subject to budget limitations. During this year, we hired a new
full-time CFO with experience and knowledge in accounting and financial reporting and anticipate hiring additional personnel as
resources allow. We will not be able to remediate these control deficiencies until these steps have been completed and have been
operating effectively for a sufficient period of time and Management has concluded, through testing, that the controls are operating
effectively. The redesign and implementation of improvements to our accounting and proprietary systems and controls may be costly
and time consuming and the cost to remediate may impair our results of operations in the future.
In light of the conclusion that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective at December 31, 2025, we have applied particular procedures and processes as necessary to ensure the reliability of our financial reporting with respect to this Report. Accordingly, we believe, based on our knowledge that: (i) this Report does not contain any untrue statement of material fact or omit a statement of material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this Report; and (ii) the consolidated financial statements, and other financial information included in this Report, fairly present in all material respects our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows as of and for the periods presented in this Report.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting on December 31, 2025. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission 2013 framework, in Internal Control-Integrated Framework.
This Report does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm due to an exemption established by SEC rules for emerging growth companies.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal year that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTION
Not Applicable.
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PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Directors and Executive Officers
The following table sets forth the name, age as of March 23, 2026, and position of the individuals who currently serve as our directors and executive officers. The following also includes certain information regarding the individual experience, qualifications, attributes and skills of our directors and executive officers.
Name Age Position
Executive Officers:
Mark White 65 President, Chief Executive Officer, Director
Justin Van Fleet, CPA 45 Chief Financial Officer
David Owens, M.D. 64 Chief Medical Officer, Director
Carolyn Shelton 64 Senior Vice President of Quality, Clinical and Regulatory
Non-Employee Directors:
Leslie Bernhard 82 Director
Alan Kazden 65 Director
Ben Hu, M.D. 68 Director
Executive Officers and Significant Employees
Mark White, President and Chief Executive Officer, Board of Directors
Mr. Mark White has been with Nexalin since 2012, first as an independent consultant from 2012 to 2018, and then as President and Chief Executive Officer from 2018 to present. Mr. White is a versatile health technology executive with over twenty-five years in leadership roles spanning medical device development, clinical operations and business development. Prior to joining Nexalin, he owned and operated his own clinics and addiction centers, where he saw first-hand the positive results the technology achieves. Early in his career, Mr. White spent several years building companies and recruiting successful management teams to accelerate growth across several industries. Mr. White attended the University of Houston where he received a degree in business management.
Justin Van Fleet, CPA, Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Van Fleet has served as Chief Financial Officer of Nexalin since 2025. Prior to joining Nexalin, Mr. Van Fleet was a partner in the assurance practice of Marcum LLP and predecessor firm Friedman LLP. He has over twenty years of experience in public accounting, including auditing life sciences companies on financial reporting, internal controls, and regulatory compliance matters. Mr. Van Fleet holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York at New Paltz and is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the States of New York and New Jersey.
David Owens M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Board of Directors